


War of Frost

by Operational



Series: Four Horsemen Save the World [1]
Category: Darksiders (Video Games), Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Darksiders - Freeform, Eventual Romance, F/M, Gen, Romance, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:49:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 38,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21745543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Operational/pseuds/Operational
Summary: Post Frozen 2. Elsa is visiting her sister but is stricken with night terrors... An unnatural meteorite lands in the forest surrounding the castle... A warning from the trolls of whats to come... Elsa gasping for air, heart hammering in her chest, before being dragged down, down, down once again... Frozen featuring a Darksiders AU Character.
Series: Four Horsemen Save the World [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1567258
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	1. Crash

The first thing she smelled was the burning timber surrounding her, filling her nose with smoke and a rush of heat. It had only been a few seconds since she gained consciousness and already the temperature had risen several degrees. Opening her eyes, she saw the Forest she called home through a thick haze, smoke rising from seemingly everywhere. She rose to her feet, as she had been lying in the sparse grass of a small clearing and leaned against a tree to try and catch her breath. A few yards away a thick oak tree burst into flames, startling her backwards, causing her to fall on her back. The temperature was definitely rising now, she thought, now question about it. She held little concern for this, her power would protect her and she was in control of it more now than she ever had been before. Elsa reached deep into the recesses of her mind to grab that icy flow she that was ever present, waiting to be called upon. Her eyes opened wide as she realized something was missing; it was gone! There was nothing, no flow, no power, no sense of safety to hold back her fear as another wave of heat assaulted her senses. Waves of fire appeared on all sides of her as the forest of fire closed in, pressing on her with a sweltering blast of hot air. Embers floated all around her, clouding her vision further. Surely this wasn't the end, the elemental spirit of fire was her friend!

"Bruni! Where are you? I'm trapped in here! Please help me!"

Elsa continued to cry out for Bruni to come to her, then Gale, and hoped that one would answer her call and save her. When no one answered her call, she reached out a hand and grasped for the power of ice within her, only to get no response. She started to hear a slow pounding,

Thump….. Thump….. Thump…..

As she felt her heartbeat race away faster than Nokk ever did, the pounding increased in tempo.

Thump.. Thump.. Thump..

"Please, anyone help! I'm trapped in here! Anyone! Anna, Bruni, Gale, please hear me!"

Thump Thump Thump - The pounding was going so quick now it was giving her anxiety and she already had plenty to deal with, seeing as she was about to be consumed by flames with no powers to protect herself. She heard several pops from a tree across the clearing until with a resounding CRACK like a bullwhip snapping right in her ear the tree toppled over just a few feet from where she was lying on the ground.

"Don't let this be the end... I don't want to lose Anna and everyone else again! Please! I'll do anything! Just let me live another day….."

/

0

/

Anna was woken to a pounding on her door.

"What in the world?" She wondered as she threw on an overcoat over her nightgown, as it got quite cold in the winter months. Opening the door with bleary eyes, she saw several anxious looking guards standing in a small triangle.

"My lady… It's Elsa. She is screaming. We fear to open the door lest she uses her power in her sleep… Please help us." Elias, the captain of the guard, was attempting to remain calm for his subordinates, but Anna could see the worry in his eyes. Elsa's unrestrained power, even on accident, had proven nearly cataclysmic for Arendelle.

"Not again…" Anna muttered as she took off down the hall running, Elias and the other guards chasing behind her. Heart pounding, bare feet pattering lightly on the stone floor, she rounded the corner before Elsa's room and felt a sharp chill permeate the air, much more so than anywhere else in the castle.

"I fear you may be right Elias" Anna said, conern creasing her face, "Lets get this door open and let me do the rest, stay in the hallway. She won't harm me."

Elias held out a hand before she could reach for the handles. "She may not be in control or recognize you, my Lady. You must be careful, please allow me to come with you that you may get to her safely."

"I will do this alone, Elias, if she thinks she has hurt yet another person with her powers, regardless of her intentions she will be devastated. It will not let it come to that. I will go alone, and I will wake her from her terror. Stay. Here."

"But my Lady -"

Anna cut him off before he could finish. "No arguments Elias, you will stay here and I will go. Don't move from this hallway." She gave him a look that brooked no further discussion, and the other 2 guards appeared perfectly happy not going into Elsa's chamber.

Reaching for the unnaturally cold handle, Anna pushed, expecting the door to open easily. She was met with heavy resistance, and the entire door creaked as she pushed harder, trying to gain entrance. Another scream resounded from within, filled with animalistic fear. Ok, change of plans.

"Elias, you two, help me get this door open, it may be frozen shut."

The two guards gave each other a brief look of trepidation, nodded to each other, gathered there courage and prepared to ram the door. Elias counted down from three and all four of them charged the door with as much force as they could muster. When it budged only slightly, he counted again and they repeated the process, resulting in a resounding BANG every time their shoulders connected with the door.

Bang….. Bang….. Bang…

Still no success. When yet another scream rose from the chamber, Anna looked at the guards and Elias, "Its now or never, hit it again!"

They all braced and charged the door once again. It budged slightly further.

"Faster!"

They hit it again. It creaked and a slight cracking sound could be heard.

"Harder!"

A third time they hit the door, and a loud crack could be heard from within this time.

Bang.. Bang.. Bang..

"We're almost there, just a little bit more and we'll be in. I'll be there soon Elsa! Just hold on!"

Anna and Elias looked at each other and nodded. This was it. They charged the door with wild abandon, fearing the worst.

BANG BANG BANG

With a final resounding CRACK the ice coating the door splintered, then shattered as they burst into the room. Anna immediately ran towards the large bed that dominated one side of the room, where Elsa lay writhing in the sheets, a look of fear etched into her features. Nearly slipping on the frost-bitten floor, Anna ran as fast as her feet could carry her and lunged onto the bed directly onto her sister.

/

0

/

Elsa tucked her knees into her chest and held herself tight. This was going to be it.

"I'm sorry Anna…"

From her peripheral vision she saw the tail end of a branch falling towards her. It fell directly over her chest, pressing the air from her lungs. She heard the branch shouting in her ear, "Wake up Elsa! Please, please wake up! Your in a nightmare and it isn't real! Come back to me!"

Everything went black. With the choking haze of smoke and cinders gone she took in a deep gasping breath, and promptly inhaled hair. Sputtering, she pushed the hair out her face, and found that the branch that fell on her was actually Anna, clutching her so tight it was starting to hurt.

"I'm ok Anna… I'm here. Everything is OK." she wrapped her arms around her sister and hugged her tight.

"Everything is alright… I promise."

"You scared me half to death! Elias said you were screaming and you managed to freeze your door shut." Anna breathed a sigh of relief. Elsa was ok.

Glancing around Elsa could see everything shining with refracted light, and frost hung glistening in the air. Clearly, her power was working, regardless of how disconnected from it she felt in her dream. She took a deep breath and gently pushed Anna to a sitting position beside her.

"I don't know what happened, Anna, but I've never experienced a night terror, dream, or anything similar that has felt so visceral and real. I was surrounded by a burning wood, my powers wouldn't respond to me, and the elements never answered my call. I shouted for you or anyone that could hear, but all I got back was the sounds of the forest burning. I was so scared, it was like I was freezing in the pit of memory in Ahtohallan, completely unable to stop myself from…" Elsa shivered at the memory and her more recent experience.

"Well it's all over now, you're ok, nobody is freezing or dying, and I'm here!" Anna glanced at her, worry evident in her eyes. "Has this ever happened before?"

"I've had nightmares before, but nothing like this… This was truly horrifying. I'm… scared Anna. What if this happens again? What if I lose control?" Elsa had a flashback to the times before Anna saved her from her frozen fortress of solitude and told her she was not broken, and she wouldn't hurt anyone because she was the one in control. She never wanted to go through that again, but what if she hurt someone? She could easily kill someone with the level of power she controlled.

"Sis… We'll be ok. I won't let anything happen to you or anyone else," Anna said with a determined grin, "Olaf will stay with us too, he won't have any issues if you freeze him solid! Don't you dare think of cutting your visit short either. I won't let you take any time away from our sisterly bonding in the limited time we get."

Elsa was worried still. She would remain worried for the rest of her life, she feared, but she agreed with Anna, she didn't want to let this prevent her from living her life. Living in fear would only result in pain, something they were both far too familiar with for her liking. She had planned on staying for a week before returning to the forest she now called her home, alongside the other elements. She could feel them ever so faintly, Bruni's fire warming her heart and spirit, Nokk's calm flowing water keeping her calm, Gale's uplifting winds, supporting her when she is down, and the Earth's weight under her feet to hold her steady. She didn't want to cut short her stay but if she had another night terror it could be worse, and she knew the elements would help protect her and others from her if she was in their territory.

Worrying about the future seemed futile if she was unable to enjoy the here and now because of it. Elsa decided if things got severe she would leave, but for now she would stay with Anna and enjoy some quality time together. She remembered hearing about a brand new ice cream vendor that just opened their doors, with the twist that all the ice cream they sold was based around Elsa somehow… She was sure her sister would drag her to it at some point anyway, and she might as well get the experience out of the way.

"Don't worry Anna, I won't go anywhere for now. Let's head out and enjoy the day! The Forest doesn't quite have as many delicious food vendors as you do in Arendelle, and I want to eat my fill before I head back!" Anna was happy that her sister was going to stay and try and not let this incident force her back home. She worried for her greatly, and swore to herself she would watch over Elsa and make sure she had a wonderful time, even if she had to sneak into her room at night and watch over her.

/

0

/

The sisters convened with Kristoff, Olaf and Sven after a few hours, since Elsa's night terror occurred before the sun had risen. Anna and Elsa had discussed telling the others, but decided to hold off for the time being, things had only recently returned to normal as it was, they didn't need more life threatening scares. Elsa was happy to watch Anna dance around the streets from vendor to vendor until she grabbed both of her hands and twirled her along the cobbled path with her. Kristoff just laughed, knowing full well the whimsical force of nature that Anna was. Their wedding wasn't set to take place until the summer, where hopefully they could host it in an outdoor venue, and were even contemplating asking Elsa if they could get married in the Forest, banishing any old memories of Arendellians visiting the Forest in large numbers. Before Anna even asked she wanted to make sure Elsa was healthy and in the right mind, as no one would be able to focus on a happy wedding if Elsa was in danger. So for now, Anna held off asking her sister anything.

They finished their visits with the many vendors and store owners of Arendelle and decided to take a brief trip out to the hills surrounding the keep, with the hope of seeing a beautiful sunset. They brought a picnic basket and some blankets and loaded Sven up so they didn't have to carry anything on their hike. The trail took them through the beautiful wooded countryside around Arendelle. None of the leaves had yet returned to the trees but the snow glistened on the branches and ground, bathing them in an ethereal glow as the sun continued its slow descent. The only sound they could hear was the crunch of their feet and Sven huffing every few steps, huge clouds of hot air puffing in front of his snout. After a brief snowball fight which Elsa proved herself to be unbeatable, they arrived at the hill's crest. They were all breathing hard, but quickly cleared a patch of snow and laid out their blankets so they could sit with Sven lying down behind them for warmth. Elsa leaned back against Sven and ran her hands through his coarse fur, breathing the sharp, crisp air in deep.

"This is truly beautiful Anna, Kristoff, thank you for bringing me here. I appreciate everyone here more than words can say… You especially Olaf!" She grabbed the little snowman tight, hugging him to her chest.

"Awww, you mean the world to me too! After all, if it weren't for you, I would be just like that pile of snow right over there! Or that one. Or even that one. Oh my, that one has quite the ugly nose, thank you for making me as beautiful as I am!" Proclaimed Olaf, gesturing around at random lumps of snow protruding from the ground.

Anna and Kristoff had a good laugh at Olaf's antics, and Elsa just hugged him tighter. They all enjoy a wonderful meal together of small sandwiches and fruit. Olaf ran around eating some of the icicles hanging from the surrounding tree branches. Elsa briefly pondered if Olaf knew he was technically being a cannibal, but elected not to shatter his happy little world. The sun began to dip below the sky, rendering the clouds in beautiful oranges and purples, earning a few "ahhhs" from the group as they took in the beauty that surrounded them. Elsa realized she hadn't had a chance to get a real good look at the ring Kristoff gave to Anna, and asked to see it. Kristoff, Anna, and Elsa crowded around admiring the ring while Olaf continued to stare into the sunset. He really didn't understand rings, but they were very shiny, and that they made people very happy. As he stared into the sunset, dipping even lower below the skyline, he saw a disturbance cause one of the clouds in his peripheral vision to partially evaporate as an object passed through it, sending particulates shooting in all directions around it. It seemed to be a large object rocketing towards the wooded area behind them somewhere, glowing a brilliant red.

"Uhhh guys…. I think an Ass-roid is coming."

Everyone's attention turned toward the direction of Olaf's pointed finger.

Elsa reacted first, "What in the world... I think you meant an Asteroid, Olaf but you were close…. It looks like its going to land near us, everyone hold on!"

Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf all huddled together and watch the unnaturally colored meteorite flying over their heads before hearing it crash with a thunderous BOOM several miles away.

"Well, today just got a whole lot more interesting." Muttered Kristoff under his breath.

Anna nodded her head in agreement, "You have no idea..."


	2. Dawn

Falling again. His hair was whipping back and forth wildly in the wind, cold air was biting at his cheeks, and he appeared to be upside down. As far as the eye could see past the red glow of his burning form were beautiful oranges, reds, purples, and every shade in between as the clouds intercepted the suns dying rays. Chaoseater pressed into his back with familiar weight as it jostled violently in the air. Another world, many years, and another story to tell; these were the things he had come to expect after maintaining order all these millennia. As he did every time he fell, he clasped his hands together, said a silent wish to the universe or whatever power sent him flying down to these worlds, and prepared for a rocky landing.

"Here we go again, old friend… Should I doubt myself, steel my resolve; Should I lose myself, guide me to where I belong; and if I should perish on this day… tell them I'm sorry, I'll see them soon."

/\

O

\/

The moment the meteorite touched down into the forest, Elsa felt the elements go briefly haywire, crying out as though they themselves had felt the meteor fall.

"We have to go find out what that was, did you see how it glowed? The last time a meteor fell it burned orange, that bright red was… unnatural."

"It's not safe for us to stay out here much longer, Elsa, we must return to the castle and come back tomorrow. The wolves will be out soon." Kristoff shuddered at the memory, turning to Anna in remembrance.

"I agree with Kristoff, sis, let's get head back for now, inform the guards and have a party ready to go first thing in the morning."

Where the elements had received a shock to the system before, they now thrummed with an odd energy that Elsa couldn't place. She had only recently entered a harmonious relationship with the elements as their human contact, so many things were new and unusual, but this felt… off somehow. She couldn't help but agree, however, as she knew the dangers of the forest and wasn't interested in dealing with them alone.

"When we get back we need to map where that thing landed. It looks to be just a few miles away from us now, so the journey should be short… Something feels so off, Anna, I don't know what to do."

"As in the elements feel off, or you feel that was more than just a simple meteor?"

"I honestly don't know… Let's just get home and we'll figure it out from there."

They all nodded in agreement and began loading Sven back up for the journey home.

Olaf approached Elsa, "Is everything going to be ok? That "Ass-ter-oid" scared me like when Gale first started messing with me, but you seem different."

"We'll have to wait and see Olaf. I can't tell you what's about to happen or what's going on… Maybe tomorrow we'll get some answers." Smiling tiredly at the little snowman, Elsa gestured with her arms and Olaf jumped up so she could carry him. With the preparations done, the party made their way back to Arendelle proper, the beauty of the forest in the approaching night lost with everyone focused on prior events. When they arrived Anna was quickly greeted by Elias and small troupe of guards with backpacks and torches lit.

Elias greeted them, "My Lady you are safe! We were about to begin searching for you after we saw that large red… rock? We didn't know if you were in danger."

"We are fine Elias, don't worry, no one was hurt. It landed just a few miles away from us, but we didn't even feel its impact. It must have been smaller than it looks. There is no point in risking a party right now, the wolves will be out in force and other dangerous animals. At first light gather some men for a short hike into the wilderness and we will travel to where it fell. Get a good night's rest, we will all need it."

As the party and guards parted ways, Elsa had to commend her sister. She was not only proud of the woman she was becoming but the leader she was growing into as well. Anna might not have had that much practice being a queen but she was proving to be excellent thus far.

Anna kissed Kristoff a goodnight as he and Sven parted ways with the party.

"Hey Anna… When is Kristoff going to get his own room in the castle? Or, you know, your room specifically?" Elsa ribbed her sister, hoping for a good reaction. Anna gave her a hard glare and laughed.

"I would love nothing more than for him to come and stay with me, things have just been so hectic lately and had only just started calming down before… well all this. I'm sure he'll stay in the castle with me soon, but right now he is still working and it helps to be closer to the lake with Sven, otherwise he would have to walk quite a ways."

"I see, I see, well don't wait too long, now that I'm gone you have no one to snuggle with if you get scared at night or put your little icicle toes and fingers on." Elsa had a wide grin on her face now.

"Well well well sister if its war you want… its war you'll get!" As she reached out and unexpectedly hugged Elsa. This was enjoyable for a brief moment, until she felt Anna's ice cold fingers from her now uncovered hand crawling down her back. Elsa nearly jumped straight into the air and wrestled her hand out.

"I may be the Queen of Ice and Snow but that will never, ever, never ever in a million years feel good! Brrrrrrrr." Elsa shivered as the cold burning sensation faded from her back.

"Thanks for being you sis… While I'm glad my powers are under control, which you helped teach me, I'm still scared. At night, when I'm not conscious I have no control, and now… Somethings going on. I have no idea what it is, but I hope to get answers when we find the crash tomorrow." As they walked into the castle towards their respective bedrooms, Elsa felt a gust of cold air and wrapped her shawl around her tighter.

"Of course, Elsa, you are my beloved sister! I would do anything for you, don't you forget it! We'll get this sorted out in no time. Now go get a good night's sleep and I'll wake you in the morning." Anna smiled at her sister, hoping she could truly rest well and that they could get things back to normal again, after all it had only been a month or two since Elsa became the fifth element and Anna became queen.

Turning the corner, they had arrived at Anna's bedroom first.

"Goodnight, Elsa."

"Goodnight, Anna."

/\

O

\/

The first thing Elsa heard was a drip of water. _Ploink._ Everything was dark, and she couldn't see the source of the water. She felt herself bobbing up and down, and she realized her eyes were closed. As they slowly cracked open, and endless sea of lumpy grey puffs appeared before her. Those are clouds, she thought. The bobbing motion continued, making her feel slightly nauseous, so she sat up. Her hair clung to her back, it was completely soaked. An actual sea of endless water surrounded her, churning waves increasing the motion of the small wood raft she was on. Raft was a kind word for it, it was more like a roped together collection of planks and other wood bits, and she honestly couldn't tell how the thing was even floating. Without preamble or warning, Nokk appeared in front of her.

"Oh Nokk, thank goodness. I have no idea how I got here or where I am… What happened?"

Nokk didn't make a noise. He suddenly rushed forward, dragging Elsa right off the raft into the black waters. Not having time to take a breath, she sputtered as the icy saltwater went up her nose, briefly causing her to choke. Elsa knew how to swim, so raft or no raft she was fine but what concerned her most was Nokk. She had the most trouble calming Nokk down out of all the elements, and she was already worried after her dream of fire. Glancing around, Nokk was nowhere to be seen. As suddenly she was thrown into the water, something grabbed her ankle and pulled her down. Hard. She was already 10 feet underwater, and again with no warning began coughing precious air as she tasted salt once more.

Looking down, Elsa saw nothing. The inky waters shared nothing with her eyes, and whatever had a hold of her had a vice grip on her leg. She kicked, she pulled, she tried to get away, eventually screaming into the water. Her voice sounded so small and weak in the water, she had no doubt not a single soul heard her. The pressure increased as she was drug deeper into the depths, crushing her chest in a vice and freezing the oxygen out of her lungs. She gave one last gasp before water filled her lungs. It was so dark she already couldn't see, but she imagined if she could her vision would be going dark, so she squeezed her eyes shut… Scant inches from her ear, she heard a smooth, gravelly voice, like shredded satin speak.

"Wake. Up."

Right as she felt she felt unconsciousness claiming her, her eyes flew open. She was in her room, tangled in her sheets from tossing and turning, but very much alive and breathing. Sweat dripped down her back as she heaved for breath, greedily taking in as much oxygen as possible. Elsa looked around, and saw everything was the same, her oak cabinet still stood against the wall, her side table was within arm's reach, and the window let the moons luminescence shine through. She forced herself to breathe evenly and slow her racing heart, closing her eyes and focusing on the rhythm it pounded in her chest.

Another night terror… Why was this happening to her, she wondered? She didn't feel any of the anger like she did when she first woke the slumbering spirits, so she didn't think they were mad at her again, but she couldn't explain these dreams. Also, unlike last time she didn't use her powers. Looking back when she first tangled with Nokk she didn't have much use for her powers underwater, only when they were on the surface so she didn't even try to use them. If this dream was anything like the last it wouldn't have made a difference anyway. That voice… She'd never heard that voice before. Speaking of her window, as she came down from her panic high she noticed it was open. Elsa kept plenty cold on her own, and never left the window ajar even the slightest bit. Strange. Hugging her arms to herself she crossed the stone floor to shut the cold airs intrusion off. At the base of the windowsill she noticed 4 deep grooves, equally spaced from one another.

"Must have been there forever… In all my time here I never paid this window any mind. Oh well. Must have blown open from the wind." She shut the window.

Trudging her way down to the kitchen in hopes of a hot drink to calm her nerves, she found some small solace in walking the halls in silence. No one was in the kitchen when she arrived, as was expected, so she set about starting a small fire and grabbed a small pot and filled it with water. Sometimes, it is the mundane tasks that kept Elsa grounded. Nothing like making tea to remind yourself that your mighty magic powers can't help you even start a fire. Luckily she had learned how to do that herself from an old teacher, before her brief self-imposed exile. A short half hour passed, Elsa finished making her tea before retreating to her room once more. She wasn't in the mood to run into an amnesiac Anna at the moment and explain she just about died in her sleep again… and that voice. She had never heard a voice like that before, so she credited it to her dream.

"I would hope my mind would try and save me from itself, why it picked such a strange voice I will never know… Oh Elsa, Elsa, Elsa… what am I to do?" The past 2 nights had left her completely exhausted, the physically demanding hike they went on yesterday certainly didn't help either. Tomorrow is a new day, and a new adventure. She hoped beyond hope they found a piece of blasted rock tomorrow, and not another mystery. She may have longed for the unknown in the past, but now all of her questions were answered. They knew what happened to their parents, they solved the mystery of the Forest, and in general everything was right where it was supposed to be. She hoped. Sighing deeply, Elsa wondered if she would ever reach a point in her life where she felt truly content and happy. She knew Anna was certainly there, engaged to a wonderfully awkward man with a lovable reindeer-dog (she wasn't completely convinced Sven wasn't just a large dog in reindeer costume), she was queen, had gone on multiple journeys of self-discovery and was ready to settle down. Elsa had gone on those same journeys, and her mystery was solved, but what was she supposed to do now? It was great fun now, hanging out with the elements and the Northuldra, but in even 2 years from now, will that be enough to leave her feeling fulfilled? She originally left and woke the spirits for the same reason. Even after finding her place and her truth, it came with the realization there was still something missing. Olaf was like having a child, so it wasn't that anything like that… Maybe she needed a reindeer-dog too? The Elements fulfilled that role, she thought. So if it wasn't that what is it? Ah. There it is. Elsa loved her sister. She loved her very much. They were equals in the sense of sisterhood and family, but the power Elsa wielded made her feel different. The elements weren't people, and were basically overgrown house pets, which didn't provide that particular human connection. Elsa wanted to meet someone else with power. Like hers. Or different. Just someone who KNEW how she felt.

Elsa sighed deeply. The likelihood of her actually finding someone else when they already knew of the 4 elements and herself binding them was incredibly unlikely. Reflecting on her life, she accepted that even if she never got this particular connection she was craving, she would be happy. She had her sister, Olaf, the Kristoff/Sven combo, and her new elemental family. Nothing could take those from her, and she would survive. Nodding her head with newfound determination, she set her tea on her side table, recovered herself, and tried to go back to sleep.

/\

O

\/

Elsa woke to her sister shaking her awake. She felt as though she had just fallen asleep before being woken, but the light of dawn was just barely shining through the window, indicating more time had passed than she felt.

"Wake up sleepyhead. You're looking a little rough around the edges." Anna said, holding out a brush.

"Gee, thanks, I didn't get you anything." Elsa responded, beginning to brush out her long white-blonde hair.

"As soon as you're ready we'll take off for the crash site. Maybe we'll get to bring home some cool rocks! We could make Olaf a new outfit!" As excitable as always, Anna was already fantasizing about what they were going to find. Elsa grinned at her sister, knowing full well how infectious her sister's enthusiasm was. She honestly hoped for the best, but a small seed of doubt planted itself within the back of her head.

"Kristoff and Sven are going to be busy at work and Olaf is passed out still, so it's just going to be us, Elias, and the guards. Hurry up sis, I want to see what fell already!"

Being rushed along by her sister, Elsa finished brushing her hair and tying it back.

"Let's get this show on the road, before you burst out of sheer excitement." Elsa said, eyeing her sister.

Elias and the guard troupe was already waiting outside, so the sisters fell in behind the as they began marching out of the castle and to the edge of town. Tracking the meteorite was easy enough; it had left a trail of broken branches and shaved off treetops early on in its descent before crashing into the base of a hill. The signs of its path became more and more obvious as they got closer, branches and leaves were strewn all about the ground where they had been broken off from the sheer speed and force of the object. The tops of the trees that were struck were broken clean off, and were scattered as far as a couple hundred feet from their original location. The going was slow, as they were only able to follow the trail for a short while before branching off into the dense forest. Elias would occasionally mark a tree for them to remember their way back, should they get lost. Finally, they approached the resting place of whatever fell from the sky. They came upon the edge of the crater, and Elias motioned them back while he looked briefly over the edge.

"It's only a few feet deep, and… wait a minute… Somethings wrong." Elias gestured them forward, so it must not have been dangerous. Peering over the small lip of the crater, she saw what he was talking about. If she were to jump in it would reach about to her chest, but that's not what concerned the captain of the guard. The crater was empty.

"Well this is very strange." Remarked Anna. "I was really hoping for some cool new rocks!"

"Be careful, My Lady. Guards, fan out, find any signs if something was dragged away from here or if there was any kind of activity. Find out what happened." Elias gestured some of the guards in one direction, and the others towards the opposite side. They slowly walked along the outskirts, looking for signs of the missing meteorite. Any snow near the vicinity of the crash was melted into water, leaving a muddy, squelching quagmire behind in its wake.

"These things don't just up and walk away. Maybe the trolls came and took it?" Wondered Elsa out loud.

Anna shook her head, "They would have left tracks and signs all over that they were here, they wouldn't be worried about hiding and they may have even told us about it if they did. Either someone walked away with our space rock or… Well that's the only thing that should have happened."

While they stared into the crater, pondering this latest mystery, one of the guards shouted,

"I've got something!"

Elias and the sisters walked over to where he was. The guard in question pointed at the forest floor right in front of him.

"None of us have walked past this point yet sir, and there are clear signs of someone walking away from the crater. They aren't dragging anything however, and the footprints aren't particular deep. The heel doesn't show any signs of digging in deeper than normal. The size of this crater leaves me to believe it would have been a decent sized rock. Decent sized enough to weigh down a man heavily. Either this man walked out of the crater, or he lifted the rock like a twig."

Holding her foot out over the other muddy print, Elsa said, "Something else is quite strange… My foot may be slightly undersized, but regardless of that whoever wore this boot is massive."

The print on the ground was at least four times the size of Elsa's hiking boot. Whoever walked here was some kind of giant, or at least related to one. After concluding their search and investigation, they still had no satisfactory answers as to what fell from the sky, and where exactly the hell it wandered off to.

"Let's go ask the troll's" recommended Anna, "They always seem to know what's going on with the world, maybe they'll have some insight."

"Excellent idea, Anna, the Valley of the Living Rock isn't too far, and I'd love to see them."

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The sun was riding high in the sky by the time they neared the valley entrance. Anna looked over to Elias and the guards.

"You must stay here. The trolls know us and trust us, and I don't want to scare them off with too many new faces. We will be perfectly safe, so don't worry, nothing scary is in the Valley of the Living Rock except for the trolls themselves, and they only scare strangers!"

"As you command, My Lady." Elias gestured for the guards to take a break on the grassy floor around them. Elsa and Anna continued on into the forest.

"Come out, come out wherever you are!" Sang Anna, hoping to attract the attention of at least one of the trolls to lead them to the main congregation. Elsa was still a bit nervous around the trolls, as much of the troubles brought to their door was because of her, like almost killing her sister, or hurting her sister when they were young, or waking up angry elemental spirits.

"Grand Pabbie, we need to talk to you!" Anna continue shouting. The muddy trail they were on curved, and when they rounded the bend they came upon a single rock at about knee height, sitting in the middle of the trail.

"Aha! We found you!" Anna promptly started shaking the rock, telling it to wake up and stop being lazy. Elsa watched her with one eyebrow raised and arms crossed.

"You know not every boulder in this valley is a troll, right dear sister?"

"... Like 99% of rocks are Trolls. It's a safe bet!" Anna began pushing the rock down the trail singing a song that sounded mostly comprised of the words "Wake up" over and over again. Elsa just laughed and continued following her sister. Not too much farther down the path, they saw an actual troll, who turned around upon hearing them and yelled,

"Anna! Elsa! Oh my, what good timing you have! Grand Pabbie was just looking for you, he had some urgent business to discuss." He gave a sidelong glance at Anna, noticing what she was pushing around.

"Anna… is that your emotional support boulder? I figured that snowman you mentioned would have worked out better since it could talk…"

Anna promptly let go of the rock, started whistling a tune and furiously wiping her dirty hands on her pants before walking on as though nothing had happened.

"Nothing to see here folks. Hey, how about you take us to Grand Pabbie, that would be awesome!" Attempting to derail any discussion about the rock, Anna pressed on. Elsa had a good chuckle, but didn't poke at her any more. The troll led them off the trail and deeper into the forest in the valley. The snow melted away and the trees still had their leaves in the valley. As they walked deeper the temperature slowly rose to more comfortable levels and the forest floor foliage changed to leaves and moss, instead of slush and mud.

They soon entered a clearing where many more rocks lay about. The army of rocks quickly transformed into a large congregation of trolls, and the normal hubbub of excitement and conversation Elsa expected from them was gone, replaced by a heavy silence draped over them like a thick fur coat. Grand Pabbie stepped out from the rest and greeted them.

"Hail, Anna and Elsa, I have been searching for you. You no doubt have questions of your own, and I will answer them as best I can, but I must forewarn you; I can only warn you of dangers yet to pass, and provide you some insight. Your adventures aren't quite over yet." Grand Pabbie looked with solemn eyes to Elsa. "Dear Elsa, you are already being tried, as I am sure you have experienced, and you will continue to be tried until you beat the darkness encroaching upon the lands of Arendelle and the Northuldra."

Barely having any time to react or orient themselves before Grand Pabbie sprung this on them, Anna and Else gave each other a look of confusion.

"Are you talking about my night terrors, Grand Pabbie? I have recently had two terrifying dreams where I was about to die right before I woke up."

Anna jutted in before Grand Pabbie could respond, "Elsa you had another one? When! Why didn't you tell me! I would have been there for you, you shouldn't bear these things alone! Please Elsa, I'm here for you now and always so please let me be there for you."

"It was last night Anna… I took a walk and got some tea and I was fine. Honestly. This time it was different… this time I was drowning. I was about to pass out in my dream, and right before I did I heard a voice. A strange voice, not one I can place as anyone within our kingdom or the Northuldra. He said to Wake up, and as I passed out I opened my eyes and I was awake. I didn't want to worry you any more than I already have, Anna, the only person I worry about more than myself is you, and I didn't want you to worry yourself sick over me."

They both glanced to Grand Pabbie.

"Whatever you know, Grand Pabbie, we will here. Please, tell us."

"So be it. I never thought there would be a time I would have to share this… I am the only troll that is still alive from the original spawn of the earth. We are distantly related to the Earth giants that roam the plains, and we formed around the time they did, very early on in the life of the world. Things were different then, no humans or civilization really existed yet, but something happened. Something dark. An evil force, I cannot tell you what it was for I do not know, took up residence somewhere past the North Mountain. I never saw it or knew what it was, but some of the creatures I knew back then went to investigate the disturbance. All who went beyond the North Mountain came back twisted. Something was wrong, rotten, corrupt. Pure evil waited those who ventured that far north. When our friends came back… we have no choice but to strike them down where they stood." This earned an audible gasp from the other trolls. Killing was unthinkable in this day and age for them, and learning the dark past of Grand Pabbie was shocking.

"If we did not kill them, then they would have killed us… They came at us with teeth, claws, sticks, whatever they thought would do the most harm. We had no choice." Grand Pabbie stooped over, a somber tone creeping into his voice.

"The very earth started to turn corrupt. Whatever was in the deep north was spreading its tendrils far and wide. The very plants and trees turned malevolent. We were all worried this would be the end of our world. Many trolls were lost in this dark time… But then it fell. A brilliant green glowing _thing_ fell from the sky. We went to see what it was… what we found shocked us. It wasn't quite a human man, but he looked like one. He carried a massive scythe, and after landing, he crawled right out of his crater and marched north. We didn't know what he was here for or what his intentions were, but the few of us that were left gathered together and prayed to whoever might hear us. We prayed to survive, we prayed that the warrior prevail in his battle as we hoped he was fighting the evil, we prayed for the strength to endure the atrocities visited upon us. We prayed all night, and come the dawn of the next day, the hero returned. He never spoke a word, but he actually ended up staying for many years. I don't know why, who he was, or really what he even did, but he saved us all. We would occasionally see him hunting down the last remnants of evil that were left until one day, he arrived astride a pale horse, and rode off never to be seen again." Grand Pabbie gave a final, deep sigh and he seemed to deflate, stooping even lower to the ground.

"Since the last troll who remembers him is gone, I have never shared this story, and we made it a point not to tell it to the children. It was a time of great darkness, fear, and misery that we hope no one ever has to experience again. We simply called him "The Horsemen", and forever since shooting stars have represented bad omens to us trolls; we believed it was the horsemen riding back and forth to fight a great evil. Now, another has landed upon our soil. I fear what this means, but you two have saved the kingdom more than once now; if ever there was a pair to save us it would be you two." He pointed in the general direction of Arendelle, and resumed,

"When I was younger, I was not as adept at magic as I am now. I couldn't feel the other Horsemen's power because I was not sensitive to it yet. Now I am much older, and much more sensitive, and while whatever landed stayed put for a while, the last direction I felt it moving in was to your kingdom, Anna. You must return at once to see if you can find what landed. Please, you are the only hope we have, if it is true another Horseman has arrived I fear the worst."

Anna and Else shared alarmed looks, the rising feeling of dread returning, shortening their breaths and tightening their chests.

"We will return immediately. Guide us back to Elias and the guards, we will depart at once." Brooking no time for arguments, the sisters hurried back down the once welcoming trail, now feeling choking, tight and never ending, like the anxiety that settled in the pit of Elsa's stomach, or the fear clamping around Anna's heart.

Anna gave her sister a grim look of determination, "We will head straight to the castle, round up the townsfolk, and warn them that something is coming. I don't know what it is yet, but we cannot rest until we make sure Arendelle is safe."

"I am with you, Anna, till the end if need be."

"I pray it doesn't go that far, Elsa, I pray."

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The Wanderer walked between the vendor stalls, admiring humans and their ability to endure. He had walked into an inn and caught up on the latest gossip, claiming to be a traveler from the North. The patrons gave him a strange look when he mentioned the North, he supposed that was a blunder but they didn't bring it up, and he was happy to leave it at that. The Northern wastes were a place where no one lived, at least no humans. Some of the hardiest animals survived the deadly conditions, but even those were few and far between. He heard of course about Arendelle's legendary sisters, Anna and Elsa, and their crew of friends, as well as the tragedies that had befallen them. No one was sure what was going on with Elsa nowadays, as she no longer stayed in their kingdom, but she seemed happy and the elements were no longer trying to push them out of their homes, so they didn't mind. Anna was an excellent ruler anyway.

Not wanting to overstay his welcome, seeing as he had no money to pay for an actual drink or food, The Wanderer left the inn and resumed perusing the kingdom.

Settling down on a large crate right outside the market, he let out a deep sigh. Nothing soothed his old heart more than just watching people. Getting to see them experience joy, sadness, hope, loss, and everything in between that made them so distinctly _human_. He was still technically a human too, but he didn't look like one much, the glowing eyes and scarred face tended to deter people. Banishing those thoughts from his head, he resumed watching the general hubbub of a busy marketplace, enjoying the sights, smells, experiences, and happiness the market brings. Watching a young child take their first bite of cinnamon bread and watching their face light up, or someone hugging their loved ones tight on a cold winter day, or seeing the first snowflake be caught on someone's outstretched tongue, these all brought him great happiness. Before he began the dark business he was sure he would find soon enough, he was content to sit and enjoy the little moments of others. Sometimes, that's all you have.

_This fortress stands stolid and strong,_

_Yet still,_

_I hear their screams,_

_Their cries for life,_

_They claw and crawl and climb these castle walls,_

_They're not here, but I still hear them yelling "Help",_

_Please don't mind my mournful woes,_

_Waiting, watching, wallowing as I wilt._

Another deep sigh. This was going to be a long night.

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**Welcome to the second chapter. Clarification of how the Darksiders AU part works in my profile and first story, Timeless. Otherwise, let me know if something is wrong and I will correct it as quick as I can, and if you enjoy the story, Favorite/Follow it for updates!**


	3. Awaken

Enjoy!

Elsa, Anna, and Elias rushed back to Arendelle as quickly as they could, without horses the going was slower than they would have liked. The mood was somber as they ran as quickly as possible without completely exhausting themselves. When the spires of the kingdom came into sight and they didn't see any smoke or burning buildings, they let out a sigh of relief. Slowing down slightly now that they knew the kingdom wasn't in immediate jeopardy, Anna turned to Elsa.

"If this… Man, thing, Horseman, whatever it may be is here to do the same thing that the last one did, we might not have to worry about him. We should still take all precautions but I'm more worried about the cause for such a being to come to our Arendelle."

"I agree. We've already learned that there are great powers that exist in this world, and from Grand Pabbie's tale there are great evils that once existed or could still be around to this day. I shudder to think about what horrors we could encounter." Elsa shivered, a rare occurrence for the Ice Queen.

"We just don't know enough. We don't know if this person or thing is friendly, we don't know where this great threat is or even what it is, but we need to figure out what we're going to do now to ensure the safety of our kingdom. I'm going to gather the people and speak to them, but I don't know how much we should tell them. If they panic, things could get far worse than they need to be."

"Agreed. In this regard I am glad to no longer be Queen of actual people," Said Elsa, giving her sister a cheeky grin, "All I have to do is wrangle a couple elementals every once in a while!"

Anna gently punched her in the arm and gave her a sideways look. She let out a sigh and had a look of deep thought across her face. Elsa decided to leave her to planning her speech, and recalled their adventures together.

One thing Elsa was prepared to admit to herself, now that all the dust was settled, was that she had a heart for adventure. After her sister was saved from the Duke and her own ice magic, and everyone had gone back to a relatively normal life, she had begun battling a relative sense of unease and boredom. Elsa loved her sister and makeshift family, but something else called to her spirit. Then something literally called out to her and in a series of very questionable decisions, she woke up the sleeping elemental spirits in the middle of the night and swept the entire village, her, Anna and company into a grand adventure where she nearly died. Elsa never wanted to admit it, but she felt truly alive while they were exploring the new land they uncovered. Meeting new people, discovering new places, taking risks, they excited her. Now, she is the 5th element, the human connection to communicate between the elemental spirits and her fellow humans, and that was a task she did not take lightly, or would abandon. None the less, her heart yearned for something new… she just wasn't quite sure what that was yet.

Shaking her head vigorously to clear the unhelpful thoughts away, she looked forward again to see the gates of Arendelle very near. Glancing at the approaching dusk, she saw the clouds lighting up beautiful colors once again.

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The Wanderer knew he had a job to do, but so far nothing appeared out of the ordinary. Well, there was that one… His train of thought was interrupted by a horn sounding its way across the entire kingdom for several seconds, followed by three more quick notes. Everyone around him quickly packed up and began making their way towards the main keep of Arendelle. He supposed he would follow the crowds and see what the fuss was about. Crowds of people swarmed into the main courtyard through the gated entrance, their voices reaching a dull roar as they speculated what was going on. It was quite rare to gather everyone together, barring an emergency. The Wanderer entered with the last few dregs of people filtering their way into the back of the crowd. It was a nice courtyard, he thought.

At the front of the crowd stood a podium, where a row of guards stood, hands resting by their sides. Two women approached the podium, one with strawberry-blonde hair tied behind her head in twin pigtails and a smattering of freckles covering her face, the other with a pale face highlighting her platinum-blonde hair tied behind her in a ponytail. These must be the ruling sisters he had heard so much about. Based off prior descriptions the one at the head of the podium and the pigtails must be Anna… and the one with the powers and incredibly light complexion must be Elsa. They both looked confident, an important trait for any ruler. Hoping to avoid any special notice, he slipped into the back of the crowd and stood near the end, slouching down a little bit. Even slouched he still saw over most of the heads in the group, but no one had a cause to be looking for him anyway so he wasn't worried.

Anna cleared her throat and began, "People of Arendelle, I apologize for calling you out so late. If it weren't important I would have waited, but this matter is quite urgent. Elsa and I have returned from the crash site of the fallen meteor and from the trolls, to hear what they had to say on the matter. We don't know much yet, but something dark lurks in the shadows, coiled and waiting to strike at our kingdom. They weren't able to give us any details, and we ourselves don't know what might be out there, but we are going to be recalling our hunters and anyone who lives more than a half mile from the walls for safety. Elsa and I will be forming a party to investigate near and around Arendelle and the Enchanted Forest. Arendelle and the elements will stand together. We have proven we can overcome any odds, and I for one am not afraid! We stand together, as one, and we will survive whatever is thrown at us!"

The crowd cheered, confidence in their queen and her sister absolute. After all, why wouldn't it be after recent events? Anna wasn't done yet however.

"We will be looking and willing to pay anyone who regularly visits the surrounding countryside and can report strange sights or changes. Nothing is too small a detail, if you know something we want to hear about it. We will be available briefly in the castle foyer in case anyone wants to speak now, otherwise thank you all for your time."

A couple hunters and regular visitors of the forests surrounding Arendelle moved forward to speak to the sisters, and The Wanderer decided the spark of power he recognized in Elsa would likely be his best link to finding whatever he was sent here to correct. Power attracts power. In all his years nothing had proven truer. He began marching towards the castle entrance as well, formulating a plan in his head as he walked.

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Upon reaching the blessed warmth of the castle interior, Anna let out a loud sigh.

"I think that went quite well Anna. You managed to tell them something evil lurks outside the walls and they cheered for you with hope and optimism, you are turning out to be quite the ruler!"

"Well I had some great examples before I ever got the crown, thanks to you sis! Let's see if anyone steps forward with anything then hit the hay. I'm wiped."

"Agreed." Said Elsa, letting out a groan she felt her tired muscles strain as she stretched her hands into the sky.

Elias and a few guards took up station behind them. A few people stepped into the foyer, and they listened to their stories one by one. Someone had seen a rabbit with antler horns, another heard some weird noises while in the forest, and another was convinced his dog was possessed. Overall, none were that helpful as the two tales actually pertaining to outside the kingdom were described as being miles apart from each other, and the man with the dog honestly sounded more like a case of paranoia. Elsa glanced over at Anna.

"I'm not sure if it's a good thing no one has sighted anything, as that means it's not near us, or a bad thing because it's hiding so well or we simply don't recognize it for what it is. I sincerely hope whatever evil has blighted itself upon our land is far, far away."

"I couldn't agree more, Elsa. I fear we have a responsibility to find out either way and guarantee it never threatens Arendelle or the Enchanted Forest however, much as I would like to just let our mystery creature deal with it."

Since there seemed to be no one else with information for them, they prepared to head to their rooms and call it a night. Before they could however, a voice called out to them.

"I may be able to be of assistance…"

They turned. Out of the shadows stepped a mountain of a man, his hood drawn and eyes lowered. He slowly stepped forward, as he did Elias approached him and asked him to halt. Not many people in Arendelle were armed, and those few who were are easily recognized. This man had a massive claymore strapped to his back, tip practically scraping the ground as he walked, and one oversized gauntlet on his left hand. He appeared to be armored, but it was hard to tell as a large cloak covered most of his features, barring the weapon and his entire left arm, which had a large pauldron covering it.

"Stop right there. State your name and business with the Queen."

The Guard Captain's suspicious gaze and question caused the mysterious man to stop and hold out his hands.

"Forgive me for the intrusion, I am new to Arendelle and heard your speech. I only wish to offer my services should you need help hunting down and dispatching whatever plagues the land. I have certain expertise that may be beneficial."

Anna and Elsa glanced at each other. They couldn't see his face at all, covered by the hem of his deep cloak as it was, or place his voice. He looked and sounded like he came from some far off foreign land, but they had hosted many people from across the seas and nearby kingdoms and had never seen or heard anything quite like him. Elsa let Anna take the lead, since it is her kingdom.

"Before we discuss that, I will ask Elias's question again; what is your name, and where do you hail from stranger?"

"My name? Ah, yes. I believe in your tongue my name translates into "He Who Wanders", or Wanderer. You may call me what you wish, I am merely here to serve. As for where I am from, there is a small tribe of hardy plainsmen in the far North, past the mountain. I have traveled far and wide since my time there. Arendelle is close enough to home to warrant my interest in this matter." First he bowed to Anna, then to Elsa.

"At your service." Ending his bows, he nodded to Elias. Having acknowledged everyone he was speaking to, he waiting for the Queen's response.

"Tell me about your expertise, Mr. "Wanderer", and how exactly you plan to help us. Wanderer takes too long to say… I'm just going to call you Reise. It means to travel, I hope it doesn't offend you."

Anna thought she heard a soft chuckle, but she dismissed it as her imagination.

"That is more than acceptable, you have my thanks, Queen Anna. As for how I can help you… Many members of my tribe, including me, are sensitive to magic fluctuations, and one of the tribe members is a shaman. If something is awry, I may be able to feel it. On top of that I am an excellent warrior, and exceptionally strong. Even I was just to help carry supplies, I would be grateful to travel with you." The cowl of his cloak shifted slightly, allowing Elsa a brief glimpse of his face. He wasn't yet close enough to see much, but his eye's shined a fierce, cold blue that seemed to glow in the dim light. Normally she might have suspected this man was the person who fell from the sky, simply because he was so strange and had unexpectedly shown up with oddly perfect timing, but Grand Pabbie had described the Horseman as a bit more diminutive than this massive man appeared to be. Anna glanced over to her, and gestured to the side. They stepped away and she began speaking in hushed tones.

"This seems very convenient… I didn't think any tribes lived on the North plains."

Elsa nodded. "I agree it's convenient, but none of us have ever traveled to the North plains and most of those tribes even around that area are so insular I wouldn't be surprised if we never heard of at least a couple. Maybe one is actually crazy enough to try surviving that wasteland, and if they do truly have shamans maybe they have some form of magic they can use that helps them survive. I doubt we can truly confirm or deny his story. I swear I've heard that voice before, or something like it, but every time I focus in my mind draws a complete blank."

"I honestly wasn't paying attention to that, everything else about him is so distracting as is. Well maybe we can give him a chance. We have no plans to go out yet so maybe he can stay here, we can watch him and see if he seems trustworthy then decide. You know how I struggle to trust foreigners anymore, but these are desperate times and we don't even know what is threatening the kingdom yet. We may just need all the help we can get, odd as it may seem." Said Anna with a look of exasperation.

"You're right, of course. Let's give him a chance, see his character and we can figure it out later. You can ask him to stay in the castle, if he has nowhere else. Lord knows we have the room…" The castle was very large, and very empty. It only housed the relatively low number of guards and some servants, which took up less than half their available rooms.

"I suppose we can." Turning towards Reise, mind made up, she said "Reise, do you already have lodgings? If not we would like to offer for you to stay in the castle. We have no immediate plans as of yet, but when we learn more we will let you know if you can travel with us or not, but we are happy to host you in the meantime."

"You honor me with your generosity. Thank you very much, Queen Anna, Lady Elsa." He bowed again.

"Elias, please show him to an empty guest room. He may stay as long as he needs until we get this situation sorted out."

"At once, my Queen." Elias turned about sharply and started walking down one of the long hallways. Anna began walking towards their bedrooms to turn in for the night. Reise turned and followed Elias down the hall. As he walked away Elsa watched him curiously. She wondered why the gauntlet on his left hand was larger than the right. Did it weigh down one side significantly more than the other? What were those designs on it? Once again she had never seen anything like the symbol stamped in the center of the armor. So many questions. She supposed she had plenty of time to get to know him and pry some answers out of him, so she would just ignore all of that for now. He turned before rounding the last corner and looked directly at her. With his cowl lifted higher than it was before she had a perfect view of his eyes. They shined a brilliant blue, and she was convinced even more now that they were producing light, and it wasn't just a trick of her eyes. Elsa felt the weight of his gaze like a corset pulled too tight; like fishhooks latching into her skin all while it itched like she was wrapped in a rough wool blanket, pulling her closer and closer. Deeper and deeper she felt herself falling away into those cesspools of time and memory. Barely, she managed to break off her gaze and nearly stumbled, ungracefully running down the hall to catch up to Anna. Hopefully she didn't completely embarrass herself in front of their guest, but she had to get away from there before she drowned.

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Pleasantly surprised with the outcome of the conversation, "Reise" as he was now called turned to follow Elias towards his new sleeping quarters. Homeless wasn't really his style, so he appreciated it. As he was about to turn down the long hallway he felt a tingling sensation like eyes on the back of his head. Turning around, he found his gaze locked onto Elsa's eyes. Instantly frozen to the spot, he felt his power reach out to hers, drawing it in like a siren, except it was him being lured into the depths of those eyes not an unwitting sailor. Normally his stoic façade never faded, but in this moment he felt his will drain away and his heart hammer in his chest, while a pervasive chill gripped his bones. Tearing his gaze away was one of the hardest things he had ever done, and as he did he heard rather than saw Elsa stumble and run down the other hallway. Glad he wasn't the only one flabbergasted for a brief moment, he continued on his way down the hallway.

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Catching up to Anna, she caught a worried glance from her sister when she heard Elsa practically hyperventilating.

"You alright Elsa? Did something happen, or did you take to doing sprints in the castle for fun?" Elsa could practically hear Anna's grin as she ribbed her sister. Due to recent adventures, Elsa had learned to be more open regarding how she felt and her powers, but in this instance she didn't know how to explain what was happening even if she tried, so she decided to play it off for now.

"Honestly I'm not sure why I'm so out of breath, I ran to catch up to you after briefly speaking to one of the servants. I nearly tripped and fell," Straight into those brilliant glowing eyes, she added internally, "but I'll be ok."

"Ok Elsa. I'm exhausted from today, so I'm turning in. I love you and I hope you sleep well tonight. Don't be afraid to come to me if you have another nightmare, I don't want you taking things on alone again."

"You got it. I'm sorry for not telling you but… You were already so worried I didn't want to add anything else onto your plate. I swear I will tell you next time!" Grabbing her sister in a big hug, they parted ways to their individual rooms. Elsa paused before the closed doors, hand reached out to open them. She stopped, hesitant to enter the once happy place where she lived for many years. Refusing to let her good memories be tarnished by some measly nightmares, she grabbed the iron handles, feeling their solidity and weight in her hands, metal cold to the touch, and pushed the doors open. Her room lay before her, everything exactly how she left it, minus the bed. Someone had stopped by and remade it. Sighing, she stepped into the bedroom and changed into her nightgown before crawling under the covers. Sleep was slow to claim her that night, and when it did, her hopes for a restful night were not to be.

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There was no slow introduction to the nightmare this time. Elsa woke falling, blue skyline as far as her eye could see, blonde hair whipping every which way in front of her face. Gasping in surprise as her consciousness caught up to her, she flipped in the air and saw a sea of white. Oh. She didn't see any clouds at first because she was above the cloud line already. As much as she tried to hold it back, fear flooded in, causing her heartrate to quicken immediately and stomach to start clenching itself into knots. She called out for Gale, but received no response. In fact, the rushing and roaring of the wind sailing past her ears became even louder as she was suddenly hit with a hard blast of wind, causing her to tumble in the air and become completely disoriented. She was hit again and again, preventing her from having any idea which way was up or down, all she knew was she passed the cloud line as her vision temporarily filled with white. She didn't bother summoning her powers, if prior experiences were anything to go by it wouldn't help her and the ice would have nothing to grab onto, so there wasn't much point.

I guess we'll find out what happens when you die in a dream… No hope in sight this time.

She was nearing the ground quickly, hope all but gone, when she heard a voice.

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Reise rose out of bed. There it was. That tendril of dark power, he had felt it before. It was reaching directly into the castle, in the same place as a matter of fact. He quickly rose and departed his room. Walking straight into the ex-Queen's chamber when it had a guard posted outside seemed like a bad idea, so he did what he did the first time he discovered the dark force trying to enact its will on the castle. He nodded to the guard as he stepped out the front entrance of the castle, before turning and walking towards the side of the courtyard. Rounding the corner and out of sight from any prying eyes, Reise broke into a sprint. He found himself under the window which he was already semi-familiar with, and prepared to climb. Finding the same old purchases he had found as before, he launched himself up the wall, scaling it at a breakneck pace. Reaching the top, a massive gauntlet appeared outside of Elsa's window, while she remained oblivious to everything but the dream. Pushing the window open, he quietly crawled inside. He could practically see the shadows slithering as they assaulted her mind with vile thoughts and images. Kneeling by the bedside, he reached out and grabbed her hand. Matters of the mind were never his specialty, but if he understood what was happening correctly all Elsa needed was an anchor to pull herself out of this pit of darkness. Her grip tightened to the point of almost hurting as her body writhed on the sheets, discomfort and fear etched onto her face.

"I am here, Elsa. You are not alone. Here my voice, return to me and be safe." Getting no immediate response, he continued clasping her hand in his uncovered one and simply repeating, "You are not alone. You are not alone. You are not alone."

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That voice. It was the same as the one from before, beautifully haunting and strange, smooth and gravelly. Realization dawned on her, when Reise had spoken he was being quiet but his voice had the same tonal idiosyncrasies as the voice from this dream and the last. Suddenly she saw the edge of a cliff appear before her, except it was following her in her downward spiral. How strange.

"You are not alone…"

There it was again. Somehow he was here, in her dream. Elsa would really have been glad for anyone to be there, especially if they could save her from this drop. A large, disembodied, gauntlet-covered hand appeared before her, near the front of the strange cliff. Desperate, as the ground was quite close now, she reached out and grabbed on with both hands. Gauntlet closing around her hands, she suddenly saw the full form of the stranger appear, pulling her onto the falling cliff with him. As her feet landed on the rocky floor an intense feeling of vertigo gripped her, causing her world to twist upside down and side to side until she couldn't stand up straight anymore. She fell into the chest of the stranger, who grabbed on and anchored her before she could fall onto the ground. Elsa heard it again.

"You are not alone."

This time from right above her head. After regaining some sense of direction, she grabbed onto the arms holding her up and pushed herself into a standing position. Looking up into the hood visage of her savior, she saw brilliant blue eyes shining. Before she could make a remark or see any more, the voice resounded in her head once again.

"Wake. Up."

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Eye's snapping open, Elsa lifted herself up as soon as she regained consciousness. Night Terror aside, somehow he had been in her dream. There was no doubt it was Reise, she remembered the gauntlet from the hallway when she had been staring. That voice and the glowing eyes left no doubt in her mind it was him who had woken her up this time, and seemingly last time as well. She supposed she should thank him but she had many questions first. A light breath of wind caressed her face, turning her attention to her window, which was open once again. More startling than that was the dark outline of a hooded figure standing there, facing away and moving to go out the window.

"That's at least a 50 foot drop, what exactly do you think you're doing?"

The hooded figure looked back at her once, eyes twinkling with blue light in the darkness.

"Oh, I have my ways. I would rest up, it seems like you need it." The voice resounded in her head, gravel tones making it clear it was indeed who she thought it was.

"Wait, Reise. Please tell me what's happening and what you just did. I have so many questions…"

Clambering onto the ledge of the window he briefly turned back.

"I don't have all the answers you seek, not yet. Sleep, rest, recover, we will talk again soon I'm sure." The proper phrase should have been "Curiosity killed the Elsa" because she felt like she was dying from not knowing, like when the spirit called out to her to come to Ahtohallan. The truth was, however, he was right, her eyelids were anvils on her eyes, and the welcoming warmth of her bed pulled her down like it was now the center of her world, and gravity was taking hold. Before she slipped into unconsciousness, she saw Reise slip out the window, one large clawed gauntlet scraping down the side of the window frame before falling. She heard a whoosh of air before she could hear no more, and slipped into peaceful oblivion.

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Having walked back through the front door with the guards being none the wiser, Reise slipped into his room. He had a much better idea of what he was called here to do now, the evil presence that permeated Elsa's room could only be caused by a handful of things, all of which were bad news for most worlds. Finding the source, however, was going to be the most difficult part, if an entity was powerful enough it could reach out like it did from many, many miles away. Reise was certainly no slouch, and if the willpower shown by Elsa to not succumb the first two times her dreams were invaded, then she had the fight of a mighty warrior inside her as well, but this fight would still be tough. He was glad he was here now though, as she wouldn't have lasted much longer against the mental barrage. Slipping into his own bed, he shifted until his still armored form was as comfortable as it was going to be. Mentally steeling himself, he closed his eyes and tried to drift off to sleep, prepared to combat his own demons in the night.

Children screaming,

Teardrops streaming,

The unknown is calling,

But I am just falling,

Deep in my woe,

My mind is my foe,

Riders in the night come to terrorize,

Memories show me how I epitomize,

That which I fear,

I am evil that's clear,

There is no redemption for creatures like me,

Only a living hell, for all eternity.

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Third chapter close:

The title of the poem is War's Lament.


	4. Ruin

War of Frost: Chapter 4

Elsa awoke to the sounds of birds chirping outside her window and a soft, chilly breeze blowing in through the open glass. Groggily her mind wondered why she left the window open when it all came flooding back to her; the terrifying nightmare, the cliff and the hand which she grabbed to pull herself out of the nightmare, and Reise. Why was he in her bedroom and her dream? He undoubtedly knew more than he was letting on... New day, new challenges, she thought, the real question was what she should tell Anna, if anything. She was already so worried, and Reise had helped her, saved her actually from a frightening fate in her dream. Elsa decided to find Reise later and force him into telling her what he knew. She was tired of being in the dark, fearing for her life every single night. No more would she be frightened and unaware. Full of determination, she got dressed and prepared to face this most interesting of days.

Rolling her shoulders Elsa noted she didn't feel completely exhausted like she had the past two days, actually sleeping most of the night through was a nice change, one she hoped would be the norm again. Pushing open her bedroom doors, she discovered Anna approaching from down the hall. As soon as she spotted Elsa her smile widened into a grin and she ran up to her and threw her arms around her in a big hug.

"Well good morning to you too Anna, I don't think I was quite prepared for this much energy so early in the morning!"

"You know me sis, I'm not one to slow down just because the sun is barely risen! The happier you are the better the day will be, at least that's what I think." Anna let her sister go and gave her an appraising look.

"You look better rested than you were the past couple of days. Were you able to get some good sleep?" Elsa coughed slightly, turning away and feigning she had to clear her throat briefly.

"Yes, yes I rested quite wonderfully last night. I only hope this trend continues, because wow do I feel alive this morning!"

"Excellent! I love to hear it. Let's head down and grab something to eat then we can discuss our plans, maybe meet with Reise and learn a bit more about him." Anna, linking her arm with Elsa's so she had no choice but to follow, turn and began walking towards the dining hall. "Maybe we'll actually see what he looks like now. Hopefully he doesn't give Elias to much of a fit, I don't think he approves much of him staying here."

Elsa nodded in agreement, turning down another hallway, arm still linked with Anna's, "If he can help us in any way, which I believe he can, then he will be of great assistance should we have to go on another adventure. I pray we don't, but… our luck has never been the greatest, has it?"

"No, Elsa, no it has not. I, of course, I can blame you for 100% of all of those things." Releasing her arm, Anna jabbed her elbow into Elsa's side playfully. "Race you the rest of the way there, loser is a dirty reindeer!" before sprinting away.

"No fair you dirty cheater! Come back here!" Elsa ran after her sister who had at least a 10 foot lead already. They rounded the last bend before the open doors of the dining hall appeared before them. Refusing to lose, Elsa channeled her powers to form a slick path for her to slide across, using more power to have the ice push her even faster. With a face-splitting grin Elsa skidded right past Anna at the last second into the entrance of the dining hall, turning around as she did so until she stopped sliding, arms crossed, eyes twinkling. "Well, well, well. Look who's a dirty reindeer now."

"That's no fair! You used your powers, if I don't have any powers then it obviously doesn't count! I demand a rematch." Anna was also grinning, having just as much fun as her sister. A light clearing of a throat sounded from behind Elsa's back, from near the table. They both turned around, seeing both Elias, who looked mortified to see both sisters racing around the castle recklessly, standing by and Reise already seated at the long table. Anna was the first to speak.

"Oh hey guys, we didn't see you there! We'll just take our seats now…" Under the withering gaze of the Captain of the Guard Anna sat at the head of the table, while Elsa sat next to her. Reise was about five seats down, sitting with his arms folded in front of him, a small smile of amusement rested on his face. Attention quickly shifted from his smile to the rest of his face. He had not donned his cloak this morning and thus was completely visible, no longer hidden by a deep cowl. The sisters both stared. He gently cleared his throat.

"Surely this isn't the strangest thing in all the adventures you two have shared?" Face's burning red with embarrassment Anna and Elsa looked away, both saying "Sorry!" at the same time. What they saw was partially a confirmation of what Elsa saw the prior night, and a new revelation. His eyes did indeed glow softly with a cold blue light, but the more startling appearance was the scar that covered most of his face. It looked almost intentionally made, one large three quarters of a circle enclosed a large part of his face, the points ending before they reached his nose and crossing his forehead. A line also stood out starting in the middle of his forehead and reaching down, stopping in between his eyes. The scar also appeared to glow slightly, an angry red color lining his face.

Elsa was the first to recover, "Anna and I apologize for staring, in all our lives and the adventures you mentioned we have seen many new and astounding things, but nothing like those markings or your eyes, please forgive our curiosity. If I may ask… How did you come to bear those scars?"

Reise took a deep breath, slowly letting it out before speaking. "My… Tribe selects members of great potential and goodness and bestows power upon them that they may do right in the world. The scars simply represent that I accepted my calling and received the blessing. As I told you, I am magic sensitive, I can detect magic when it is used and I have been blessed with the strength required to do my duty." While Elsa was listening to his description, she noticed he still had the oversized gauntlet on his left hand. He gestured with his right hand, and kept his gauntleted hand under the table. She could see the edge of it peeking out from below the tablecloth, however.

Deciding to hedge in her curiosity to one wild new discovery at a time, she gathered the willpower to look back at his face. Now that she wasn't so focused on the glowy bits, she could see the straight lengths of white hair that framed his face, reaching down almost as long as hers. "Did the white hair come with the ritual as well?"

"Yes, my hair turned white when I accepted the power I was offered. I don't know why but it has simply been that way for many years now." Reise offered. He seemed to divert attention away from himself, asking about how the food was in their kingdom.

Anna finally found the voice to respond as well. "We have some truly wonderful chefs in Arendelle, I think you will find a wide variety of things to your liking, Sir Reise." He seemed to chuckle at the title.

"No title is necessary, I am happy to go by the name I was given, Anna. I am here to help, nothing more, nothing less, no formality is needed." The food arrived shortly after his response, giving them all something else to focus on. After being served, Reise ate with a slow, careful precision, not wasting a single motion. Elsa couldn't help but continue to glance at him, wanting to know more but not wanting to seem invasive. A sudden idea popped into her head.

"Anna, after breakfast if you have other duties to attend I would like to take Reise on a tour around the kingdom." Looking to Reise, she continued, "If you want, of course, I do not mean to impose."

Anna was the first to respond, "I am going to be busy with some paperwork and a couple meetings with advisors, so you will have plenty of time before I am free. If you would like Reise I think you will quite enjoy our little corner of the world."

Reise nodded his head in agreement, "I would be honored, My Lady. After we eat I will go gather my things and be ready at once."

Breakfast went quickly after that. Everyone ate in silence until Reise rose from the table and said he was going to prepare for the tour of the kingdom. The sisters watched him walk out of the dining hall and once they were sure he was out of earshot turned towards each other.

"That was wild! Even with all the magic stuff we've seen and you can do that was a little crazy! First we learn all about your powers, then we learn about the magic forest and elements and more of your powers, then this mysterious guy with glowy eyes and cool scars all over his face? I don't even know what to think anymore." Anna practically hummed with curious energy.

Remembering the lightning connection she had experienced the other night just from looking into those eyes, Elsa was feeling nervous about her time alone with the strange man. Now that she had more time to analyze what she was feeling, she noticed one very strange and concerning fact; her power was responding to him in much the same way it had to the voice that called her to the Enchanted Forest. She felt a tug, a gentle pull from deep within her ever so slightly in his direction. The pull from the forest and Ahtohallan didn't exist anymore, not since she solved the mystery and pacified the elements. This new development was quite concerning. Beyond the implications that a complete stranger was tied to HER power like Ahtohallan had been wasn't a good thing. She didn't want any more mysteries with her power, not after just solving the last one and finding her place in the world. Hopefully she learned more from their upcoming interactions, because she was totally in the dark at the moment. Seeing her deep in thought Anna left her alone, departing to tend to her duties when Elsa didn't respond to her name.

Elsa heard someone clear their throat, and looked up from her distraction to see Reise standing near the entrance he had originally left through. He was dressed in a large cloak, massive sword on his back once again.

"Do you always carry your sword with you? We aren't going outside the castle walls, we won't be in any danger."

He glanced over his shoulder to the hilt sticking over his shoulder. "The sword has been my constant companion for many years. I am perfectly capable without it, but I am much happier with it on my back. I have journeyed long and far in my lifetime, seen rivers of blood and tides of steel, and this sword was there with me all the while. I hope it isn't a bother for you."

The sensation of timelessness flooded her once again, hearing him speak with the look in his eyes made her feel like everything she had been through was insignificant; nothing but a speck on the infinite tides of time. An ancient, primal fear began rising in her of Reise, all she could picture was him and his sword carving through flesh and bone on battlefields that stretched on for miles, none standing before his brutality. Shaking her head she tried to shake off the feeling. The discomfort remained, but the fear was dissipated for the most part. Elsa really knew nothing about him and she had to learn before she made any judgements. "Of course it isn't a bother, let's go on our little tour of Arendelle!" Putting on an air of confidence that she didn't feel, she began guiding him to the castle entrance so they could leave.

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Reise realized Elsa was feeling something similar to what he was. His power practically sang in response to her presence, but why it did he had no idea. Mastery over the 4 prime elements is what he prided himself on, conflict and strife being an inherent part of the fire, earth, air, and water. The endless sea battering itself against immovable rocks, fires raging deep within the earth, vicious winds raging against the surface and anything that dared stand in its way; these were all things Reise was familiar with. This tug, this draw towards the Queen of Ice and the elemental spirits was not expected, or really desired. Mystery normally never held happy endings for beings like himself. Departing the castle, they left the gates and began their tour of the kingdom.

Reise was pleasantly surprised by Elsa's company. If he ignored the roiling and contracting of the power he felt sparking under his skin, he found she was a level headed and kind individual. They perused various markets, shops, points of interest, and anything else Elsa thought would be of interest to him as they walked in a large circle around the outer edge of the town. It was like many other towns and kingdoms he had visited in the past. It was also like many he had destroyed. Ignoring that thought, he continued on. They drew many stares, but the citizens were kind enough to try and give them some space and privacy. Some persistent children approached the pair with their mothers or fathers, leaning towards Elsa to whisper in her ear. She laughed, a very pleasant sound as it filled the air with her mirth. He watched as she constructed an astonishingly detailed ice snowflake, which she gave to the first little girl who had approached her. She crafted two more with unique designs to give to the other children as well and waving goodbye as their parents scolded them to say thank you. He certainly couldn't craft anything with his powers, but maybe he should try. It would give him something to do in between catastrophes…

Continuing on, Elsa showed him her favorite sweets shop, and cordially greeted some of the adults they met along their way. Reise could tell people were already nervous about him, massive steel-bound wall with a sword, but they knew Elsa and seemed to hold themselves apart from her as well. Most of the adults refrained from touching her, even if their kids held no such inhibitions. She was gentle and sweet with them all, treating everyone with kindness.

Approaching the end of their journey, Reise couldn't help but remark "Should I ever have the honor of ruling any lands I hope to be half as kind to my people as you have been to yours. Your patience is truly astounding."

Hearing his praise, Elsa blushed slightly. "I ruled for a while before I ran away from home, but really I don't have much experience. I just want everyone to be happy… If they never have to worry about the things that I, and now Anna, have to worry about, then we are doing our jobs right. I no longer rule over anyone but some unruly spirits. The Northuldra largely take care of themselves and don't expect anything from me, other than making sure the elements never go berserk again." Reise asked her to go into more details about her experiences with the elementals, as he had only heard some of the major bits from the gossip at the inn. She explained as much as she could, how scary it was at first with all the elements being out of control and not knowing what to do and her eventual message to Anna, who then freed her from the ice. When she discussed how she was the fifth element and the bridge between the elements and the humans, he froze in his tracks. He didn't know with certainty, but the way she talked about the elemental spirits she had to "tame" most of them before they could connect, or somehow gain their trust. His power certainly would fall under the elemental category, amongst other things, but if it was trying to reach out to her to connect… He didn't know what would happen when it did. Nothing in all his millennia of travels had ever prepared him for someone who was the… Queen? He supposed of his own power. Reise had been around far longer than Elsa's greatest great grandparents ancestors had been, and somehow he was still subject to this call. It wanted to be recognized by Elsa, like a peasant being recognized by Royalty. He snorted at the idea, but couldn't deny the feelings that were irritatingly swarming him.

All he needed to do was kill whatever evil was trying to invade Elsa's dreams, then he could leave and escape from this torment. She was an undeniably beautiful woman; perfect pale skin with a light smattering of freckles; cascades of platinum-blonde hair reaching to her hips; rosy cheeks below glittering blue eyes; and a slender frame carrying a strength of will beyond belief; none of which helped his apparent desire to connect with her. His observations of her today showed him a softer side than most would normally see, stoic and aloof as she normally was in public, the children she visited with opened her up. Not helping anything was a calling from within to reach out and touch her, just to put one hand on the exposed top of her shoulder and form a connection. No! He wouldn't… He couldn't. He wasn't of this world, or even this universe, and he certainly would scar whoever decided to dive into his past. Reise would remain resilient as he always had been.

Continuing on walking, he apologized for the delay and said he thought he had seen something familiar. They approached the castle gates once again, sun beginning a slow dip towards the horizon, casting the sky once again into a beautiful array of oranges and purples.

"Thank you again, for taking the time out of your day to be my personal guide and show me your kingdom… It is truly a beautiful place. I hope it continues to succeed and prosper."

Elsa glanced over at him. "It was my pleasure. It is rare for foreigners to visit us these days, so it's always nice to see a new face, especially one who can actually help us out with some of our more… Unique problems."

"But of course. I will help in any way I can." They were through the castle gates now. "I suppose this is where we take our leave. I will be in my room unless you need me."

They both entered the castle, and Reise turned down the hallway leading to his room. Elsa waved at him one last time as they parted ways, him returning a nod in response.

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Elsa really didn't know what to do. How could she continue on every day around Reise with this cacophony of sensations practically tugging her towards him? He was like a giant magnet, sucking her in whether she wanted to be or not. It had started small, but had escalated too far beyond a minor annoyance. Now was not the time to be dealing with distractions like this, they had much more serious issues that needed to be solved, so she did the best she could to shove down all those feelings and twinges of power. Entering the dining hall, she encountered Anna eating with Kristoff and Olaf. Greeting them, she sat down at the table and absentmindedly began twirling her hair in one of her fingers, lost in thoughts of her power's strange reactions as of late.

Clearing her throat, Anna asked, "How was your day of being a tour guide, Elsa? Did you learn anything about our guest?"

Focus returning to her, Elsa responded, "We had a good time, I showed him most of the shops and stores and met several families and gave them some pretty trinkets I made. As for Reise, he didn't talk much during the trip… He mostly nodded or asked an occasional question. He thanked me at the end and went off to his room. For the most part it was an uneventful trip, but he does seem to be overall a decent person." She hadn't even asked about the dream or the fact that he somehow got into her room the other night because of how distracting her ice magic was being. Reminding herself to ask him later about that and wring some answers out of him, she turned her attention towards the other two seated at the table.

"And how about you guys? What adventures have you been on since we last saw you?"

"Oh not a whole lot, we cut of a lot of ice and Olaf did some sledding and sunbathing while he watched Sven and I work. It was uneventful for the most part. Anna was telling me about your new guest, he seems like an interesting guy." Kristoff replied. Olaf spent plenty of time with Elsa in the Enchanted Forest so he enjoyed spending time with either Anna or Kristoff while they were visiting.

"He most certainly is, I still can't tell you much about him other than the brief amount I'm sure Anna has already relayed to you. In my experience with him today he didn't get too close to anyone or introduce himself, but he it didn't seem like he was uncomfortable, just preferred to stand apart and watch others interacting." Elsa explained. Feeling drained, she was ready to head to bed herself. "Has anyone else come forward with information regarding the meteorite or strange sightings?"

Anna shook her head. "Not yet. If no one had seen anything yet we may just have to wait for something to crop out, or go out exploring ourselves, maybe with Reise if he can help."

"I see. Well I'm rather exhausted from all the walking today, I'm going to turn in early, goodnight everybody!" Elsa scooted out her chair and made to depart the dining hall.

Anna got up and gave her a big hug before she was able to leave, telling her to sleep well and come to her if she needed anything. Elsa did love her sister a lot, and was constantly reminded of how much she was cared for. Ever since they had learned the truth about their parents, Anna had been making a lot of effort to be there for Elsa, since she knew regardless of how untrue it was she would partially blame herself for their deaths. Giving Anna a gentle squeeze, she left the dining hall and began the walk towards her room. Listening to the gentle pitter patter her feed made every time she took a step, her mind wandered back to the main point of contention in her mind: Reise. He hadn't exactly smiled much on their tour of the kingdom, but one of the times she was playing with the children and laughing she had glanced back at him. One small corner of his mouth and tugged up the slightest bit into a smile, and the normal calculating look he had on had softened so she could see some of the lines around his eyes. It really wasn't much of a change from his normal stoic façade but she thought he looked quite handsome when he loosened up a bit. She normally didn't pay much attention too or have any men in her life truly worth noting; Kristoff was with Anna, and she just thought the guy was a huge goofball. Beyond that, there was no one. With the love in the air around those two, it was hard to not think about finding romance in her own life, even if at the moment the most interesting man in her life was mostly a stranger. The long white hair framing his sharp features; the crystalline glowing blue eyes; the piercing looks he gave to her that made her feel like she was the only person in the world for a brief moment; and his voice like a sheet of smooth satin tumbled with rocks until it scraped her skin when he spoke; they were all things she noticed that normally she never paid attention to. He even had powers of some kind to boot. Cursing herself as she felt heat rising into her cheeks again, she blamed the strange attraction her power felt towards him as to why she was so focused on him.

Entering her room she opened the window herself to cool off, not something Elsa normally needed to do, but feeling it was necessary tonight. She changed into her nightgown and prepared for bed, hoping beyond belief for a dreamless sleep. Knowing her luck she wasn't feeling optimistic. She pulled back the covers and crawled in, tossing and turning for a while until the weight of her eyelids pulled her down into a deep sleep.

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Much like the first dream she had, she saw nothing but blackness at first. Opening her eyes, Elsa saw nothing but a dark sky, stars twinkling far above. Immediately sitting up and preparing herself, she saw she was once again in a forest clearing, much larger than the first one when she dreamed of fire. Glancing around, there wasn't much to see except for a lonely tree stump, which she got up and walked over to. Sitting herself down and continuing to keep her head on a swivel, she thought to herself I'm ready for whatever you throw at me, evil dreams… Bring it on. Sounding much more confident in her head than she actually was, she didn't recognize the quiet thumps in the background until they were closer and louder. Turning all about, trying to find the source of the noise, she realized she was jumping slightly every time the noise occurred, or rather being bounced. Each bounce was a little bit higher as the ground shook each time the new much louder noise occurred. This time she heard the snap of trees breaking like twigs each time she shook. Turning around, she found the source of the oncoming earthquake. A massive stone head appeared first from what she could make out in the dark, followed by the rest of its body and a giant foot as an earth giant appeared before her, stepping into the clearing.

Stepping away instinctively, Elsa watched it cautiously. While they were on friendly terms now, the giants and her hadn't started out that way… and based off prior experiences the only nightmare she was missing until she had almost died to all four elements was earth. The giant let out a deep, resounding roar and reached out a great stone hand to crush her. Elsa turned and ran, creating a giant ice pillar behind her to prevent his hand from smashing straight into the ground. Stone met ice, but the ice remained true and sported several massive cracks after receiving the crushing blow. Breathe starting to come in shorter and shorter breaths, she ran as fast as her legs would carry her towards the opposite side of the clearing. Hearing the sound of smashing ice, she saw the giant swat the pillar out of its way before charging towards her. Since her powers had decided to start working in these dreams she decided to make the most of them, turning around once more and freezing the feet and knees of the giant solid, causing him to lose his balance and topple forward, crashing into the ground with a massive wave of dust and debris from his impact. Coughing and covering her eyes, Elsa stepped forward to see if he was staying down or if she needed to lock him down further. Seeing no movement from the fallen rock giant, she let out a deep sigh. Suddenly she felt the same thumping feeling she had felt before… except more. Turning around to face the other side of the forest, she saw three more massive heads poke out from the tree line.

"Oh no…" Upon sighting their fallen brethren and her standing before him, all three giants began rumbling towards her far quicker than she would have liked. Preparing her powers again she froze the area around her, trying to make it as hard as possible for the giants to keep their balance. Holding out her hands, she waited for the giants to get into range to start flash freezing more limbs to lock them down. The indicator that something was wrong was her feet going numb, looking down revealed her feet had started turning to ice, just like in Ahtohallan when she went too deep for the memories. Panicking, Elsa tried to yank her feet from the ground, but the ice continued to spread up her legs, prevent her from being able to run or move. Fear building inside she let out a scream, and realized she had a new dilemma; she was slowly sinking into the ground. The frost had spread up to her waistline, and she sunk into the earth up to her knees. The giants continued their charge towards her at a breakneck pace. She resigned herself to her fate as she felt her hands turn to ice, losing all feeling in them except for a slight tingling sensation. The earth continued dragging her down, a sense of claustrophobia already closing in as her head got closer and closer to the dirt. Time seemed to slow down while her body descended, her mind unable to accept the situation it found itself in.

Summoning one last ounce of willpower, Elsa tried to freeze the ground under her by channeling her power through her breath, but her slow descent continued unabated. The giants surely had reached her by now and would just stomp on her and end her torment. Glancing back she saw at least two just standing above her, unmoving. "Ah, so I am to die in the most miserable way possible… I see how it's going to be." As she finished speaking, her head disappeared, sucked into the dirt. Trying to breath just resulted in dirt flying up her nose, and the resulting cough only let more dirt into her mouth. She sat trying to hold her breath, earth crushing her chest, but she was beginning to see spots against the back of her eyelids that were pressed shut so tight it hurt. Just as she thought she was going to pass into unconsciousness she felt something grab her hand, so tight it was painful, sharp metal digging into her skin. She had heard it before but never as loud as she heard it this time, along with a hint of panic if she wasn't mistaken (Which with how delirious she was feeling wouldn't be a surprise).

"WAKE. UP!"

The call was so loud she nearly jumped out of her skin, panicking until she realized she could breathe. There was no much crushing weight around her chest, and she wasn't choking! Opening her eyes, she saw Reise kneeling beside her bed, large gauntleted hand around her own. Oddly, steam was seeping off of him as though he had just gotten out of a very hot bath. Glancing around her room she saw once again everything was covered in a shiny film of ice, except for the very spot Reise was standing in, which was just a puddle of also steaming water.

"Oh my god… Reise are you ok? I could have frozen you to death, what were you thinking! What in the world happened? And why are you steaming?" Elsa sputtered out as her mind caught up to her eyes and processed what she was seeing. "Thank you for saving me from that horrid dream but… Are you ok?"

Seeing her panic again at the thought of almost hurting someone with her powers, Reise just shook his head. "I am fine, don't worry about me. We need to figure out where these terrors are coming from, or I fear for your safety… This one seemed worse than the last. You are in danger, Elsa, very real danger."

"What more do you know? I didn't press the last time you saved me, but this time I must know, what else do you know that you aren't telling me? Who are you, really, Reise?" Elsa pressed him for information, wanting to know the whole truth.

"I don't know much more than you do, to be honest. I can practically feel the dark shadow of whatever did this lingering in the air, these are no simple nightmares. I fear your life is in danger, Elsa, not just a decent nights rest. When I was trying to break through to you I kept getting flashes of something; it seemed like an island of some kind… but it was mostly blue? I think it was made of ice… I'm honestly not sure what I was seeing. I didn't see you so I don't think I was seeing your nightmare, but something connected to it somehow."

"Ahtohallan… I must be. In my terror I began to freeze, starting with my feet, just like I did in there. There must be a connection." Shaking the covers off of herself, ice cracking and breaking apart in response, she got up and began making her way to her wardrobe. "We must leave at once… Waiting is not an option for us any longer. I know you offered your assistance, Reise but I still want to ask you, will you help me? I don't know what is going to happen and Ahtohallan is a strange place. I would rather bring you with your… powers or whatever it is you have, than my sister. I fear for anyone that I bring, and I wouldn't ask this of you if it wasn't of great importance. Will you come with me to Ahtohallan to try and find out what has gone so wrong?" Trying to feign an aura of confidence, Elsa stood with her feet parted and hands on her hips.

Reise smiled. "I would follow you to the ends of the earth, Lady Elsa, if it meant we were able to save you and everyone else from this evil." He finished with a slight bow to end his statement.

Blushing once again at the carelessness at which he threw around such words, Elsa threw open her wardrobe to begin throwing clothes into a bag. "I suggest you go get your things in order, Mr. Wanderer, and meet me by the stables. We must depart as soon as we are able."

"At your command," Reise stated as he moved towards the open window.

"You know doors were invented for a reason?" Elsa chided him before he stepped up onto the sill.

"Rumors and gossip were also created for a reason, and as much honor as it would bring me to be called a consort to the Ice Queen, I rather think you would prefer to avoid such talk." Not waiting for a response, Reise dropped out the window. She heard a snap as though something opened sharply, then a few seconds later the crunch of snow as he landed. The warmth in her cheeks from his first comment turned into a furious blush.

"Stupid men with their stupid logic and silly reasoning," Elsa muttered under her breath as she stuffed her bag full of traveling clothes. Sighing, she realized she would have to leave a note for her sister. She really didn't want to explain what was happening, or over worry Anna more than she already was. Leaving a note would cause her to worry just as much, Elsa knew, but asking for forgiveness later was much easier than asking permission. There just wasn't any time. Changing into more suitable riding attire, she threw her bag over her shoulder. Grabbing a paper and pencil from her side desk, she quickly scribbled down what she was doing to her sister. She felt the firm plush of her rug as she stepped across the floor, hands reaching for the cold iron handles that would mark the beginning of a long journey. Taking a deep breath, she pushed both doors open and began making her way towards the outer keep, where the stables were located. She handed the note to the guard outside of her room, asking him to give it to Anna in the morning. Apparently she hadn't screamed out loud in her nightmare as no one else but Reise had been there. Leaving the castle she felt the icy passage of wind through her fingertips and across her nose, reddening her cheeks.

Glancing at the rest of town, she saw the massive tree they had somehow dragged and propped up in the town square. Christmas was coming soon, she remembered, and they hadn't discussed how they were going to do that this year. Maybe she would be spared that conversation if she was busy fighting off evil, nobody could blame her for not being available then. Reaching her destination, she saw Reise standing just inside the stable doors, stable hand standing by him with one horse saddled up.

"Are you planning on running or are we to take our time making our way to whatever evil roams the world?" Elsa jibed Reise, approaching the horse and stroking his mane. He was a large, young-looking black horse, speckled with white dots across his face.

"My horse is ready anytime, but we won't see him until we are outside the walls. It wouldn't do to scare anyone who might still be awake."

Elsa wasn't quite sure what he meant, and at this point, didn't want to ask. Thanking the stable hand, she mounted the horse and gently prodded him into a trot. Reise kept up easily, quickly taking large strides, matching pace with her. It was a quiet night, barring the crunching of the snow underfoot. Light flakes had started falling from the sky, bathing the sky in white. Passing a torch mounted to a sconce they could see the beauty of the falling snow more clearly, as their only light source otherwise was the moon, which she could see in all its glory beaming down from above. For a brief moment their entire world was a simple place, filled only with beauty and a chill wind. That world fell away to be replaced with reality as they approached the final gate leading to outside Arendelle.

Opening the gates without question for Elsa, they exited the kingdom without a fuss. Once they had gotten a short ways away and out of sight from any prying eyes, Elsa turned to Reise. "Well, are we going to get this show on the road, or are we walking the whole way?"

Reise briefly smiled at her challenge. "All in due time, My Lady, all in due time." Turning back to where they came from, knelt down, held his gauntleted hand to the ground and began talking.

"Ruin, my ancient companion, I require your aid once again… Return to me, lend me your strength, aid me and together we could ride through oblivion unscathed." Standing from his crouch he held out his hand. Elsa was confused for a brief moment, until she saw the snow near their tracks about 30 feet back begin melting. Staring in confusion, she flinched when a sudden fiery ring appeared and a massive pitch black Clydesdale emerged from the ground and began galloping towards Reise. Grabbing onto the reigns as it approached, he quickly mounted the horse and came to a stop near Elsa. Hearing a hissing noise and seeing steam rising from below their feet, she looked down to see its hooves… Smoldering? They glowed orange in the pale light and melted the snow in the immediate vicinity around each hoof. It snorted, expelling a wave of air so hot she could see the distortion on the air.

"This is Ruin, my horse, if that is what you want to call him. He has been with me for a very long time, and saved me more times than I can count. Don't be frightened by his appearance, many misunderstand him just because he is a little different." Kind of like me Elsa heard him add without saying it out loud. She understood, and wasn't one to judge. Learning just how many different magic forces and powers there were in this world that she had no idea existed so quickly was alarming, but she would cope.

"How did you two meet? He is a beautiful creature, that is certain."

"A story for another time, perhaps. I'm afraid there is nothing simple about most of my tales, and Ruin is no exception. I believe there won't be much time for talking if we are to ride as hard as we need to."

Nodding in agreement, Elsa kicked her horse into a gallop and set off, Reise and Ruin not far behind.

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Men, Women, and Children.

Families, Communities, Towns and Cities.

Civilizations, Worlds, Races, Entire Species.

All things I have sacrificed

In the name of but one thing, and one thing only.

Balance must be preserved at all costs.

I once was a man. I had a family.

I belonged to a race. Then I was chosen.

Then, they threatened the balance.

Now, only I remain,

The sole survivor of a tragedy numbered in billions.

Make your memories, while you can.

Someday, that's all you'll have.

_____________________________________________________

Excerpt from a long lost journal simply labeled, War.

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Message me for questions, read my profile for a little more background on the AU Lore.

Good luck out there, and happy holidays!


	5. Hero

The light snowfall of the past had turned into near whiteout conditions far quicker than Elsa would have liked. She, being the Queen of Ice Magic, had little issue being in the middle of a blizzard, cold didn't bother her much. Reise seemed to be doing ok as well, mounted on his "horse" he called Ruin. It was on fire so she supposed it must be warm, if not burning hot. Having stopped to review the map of their destination and the paths they could take to get there, their way was fairly straightforward. At least, it was. They had been riding as hard as they could for about 2 hours, and she estimated they still had 2 hours till the sun rose. If these conditions continued, the sun wouldn't mean a whole lot, but at least it wouldn't be quite as pitch black. Reise was actually leading the way at the moment, because it was easier to follow Ruin and his fiery hooves than it was to follow her.

Pulling up beside Reise, seeing that he had stopped, she shouted over the howling winds, "What's going on?"

Turning towards her and leaning in to be heard, Reise said, "I'm afraid if we continue on into this blizzard we will be more lost and off course than if we stop for now. I think she need to make camp as best we can, and wait for a little bit more visibility."

Elsa was not an experienced woodsman, and if Reise was really from the Northern Wastes like he said, he had plenty of experience in these conditions, so she was willing to listen to him when he said they should stop. "Where do you want to make camp? I can't see a damn thing."

"I noticed a tiny clearing of trees that might provide some cover, let's go check it out." Ruin started meandering towards what she supposed looked like trees, everything was just different shades of white to her at this point. Once they were closer, she saw them more clearly. They had been riding on a path through the forest, so she supposed it made sense they were next to the trees the whole time even if she couldn't see them. The trees in question were a tightly grouped set of 5 or so, providing some covered from the wailing storm. Once actually standing in the small outcrop, Elsa noticed a slightly less white shade of ground cover. Nearly walking headfirst into the rock outcrop just behind the treeline, she yelled at Reise, "Over here, I found nicer place for us to stay!"

She could just see the fiery hooves of Ruin outsides the tree line, and sensed more than saw Reise approaching. "I think this small cove is covered by a rock, we might get better protection from the wind in here than in the trees."

Peering at what Elsa had found, Reise said, "I agree, this is much better. Let me clear it out and we can bring our stuff inside." He set to work pushing snow around by hand. The large gauntlet served as an excellent shovel, and while Elsa tried to help him she had to put her gloves back on after just a minute or two of pushing snow as the cold managed to affect even her. Once most of the snow had been pushed to the side to block even more wind from coming in, they had a better idea of what they were working with. There wasn't quite enough room for a standing person, especially one of Reise's stature, but it wasn't totally uncomfortable. They were able to squeeze the horses through the trees with a little maneuvering, and set them up right outside the entrance of the outcrop. They stood side by side, and Elsa suspected her horse was using Ruin as a personal space heater, which she couldn't blame him for. If she was feeling the cold, she could only imagine what everyone else felt.

Reise finished whatever else he was doing in their little nook and crawled back out. "Go ahead and drop your stuff off in there, I think our best bet is laying up against the wall as far back as you can get. My pack is leaning against the corner already."

Thanking him, Elsa crouched down and walked/shuffled under the rock. She could see the dirt and marks on the stone where Reise's gauntlet had undoubtedly scraped away some of the top layers, but there was no snow to be found on the floor so she was content. His pack was leaning up against the crevice where the rock met the floor, and thanks to some dirt packed into said crevice, there was a spot for them to lean back into their backpacks in relative comfort. She set down her own bag and then plopped onto the floor, scooting back into the crevice and adjusting herself to try and avoid as many rocks from digging into her bottom as possible. Finding that no position would work, she just settled down and resigned herself to the pain.

Reise came back into the little outcrop, crouched incredibly far to the ground, with his claymore held in one hand. He set it on the floor across from Elsa, before dropping onto the ground himself and scooting into position next to her. "There is no way we're starting a fire in these conditions, so we'll have to make do with blankets and our little fortress."

Elsa shivered and reached behind her to grab out the blanket she had packed into her backpack. "Good idea on the blankets, hopefully they cut down on some of this forsaken wind chill…"

He reached around to do the same, unstrapping his blanket roll from the top of his pack. Glancing down at it, he found that the normal waterproof wrap that the Arendellian's used to prevent snow from destroying their blankets had torn, meaning his had become a snow covered mess. He tried to brush out the snow from the blanket, but so much had gotten in it was quite the effort. As he tried to clear out the blanket it began to melt from the heat of his hand and their new covered respite. Sighing in defeat, he shook out the last bit as best he could and covered himself as well.

Elsa herself was beginning to shiver, even through her blanket, as the biting wind swept through their measly fortress and nibbled at their skin. When she had been very little, Anna had crept into her bed one night because she was cold and sharing warmth had been very effective. Reise was still effectively a stranger, but so far he had saved her from certain dream death twice, and had been nothing but cordial. That and her power had a burning desire to connect with him… But she ignored that part, citing the not wanting to freeze as a bigger reason for what she said next. "You know… I would rather not spend the next few hours shivering myself to death, so if you would be so kind we could just share this blanket… and body heat." Elsa briefly thought pure embarrassment was also an effective way of keeping people warm based off how warm her cheeks were. She glanced over at Reise to see his reaction.

"Of course, Lady Elsa, I would certainly appreciate that as well." She thought she saw a strange expression flick across his face, but it was gone too fast for her to identify. Casting aside his useless semi-wet blanket, he shuffled across the short distance between them. Lifting up one end of the blanket, she also scooted closer to the center of the crevice wall. He pulled the blanket across him and adjusted his backpack to his new position and Elsa followed suit.

He cleared his throat and briefly paused, then said "If you would like, you can rest on my arm… I am sure it is more comfortable than the rock. Then you won't have to deal with my gauntlet scraping your arm either…" In the darkness, it was hard to tell what he was looking at. He seemed to be looking forward, and there just wasn't enough light to gauge if he was embarrassed or what he was feeling.

"That… would be nice. Thank you for offering." She felt his large gauntlet scrape across the floor as he dragged it up and around her shoulder. She scooted in closer and leaned into the new alcove between his arm and torso. Elsa felt his arm descend next to her side, carefully maneuvered so it wouldn't put too much pressure on her waist or leg, and so it supported him. Most of her was upper body was no either leaning against his chest or arm, with only a few parts of her lower back against the rough stone. She was grateful for the pitch blackness, as her cheeks continued to burn. Feeling the warm metal of his armor pressed into her side, she leaned her head back onto the unarmored portion of his arm he propped up behind her head. Surrounded by relative warmth and someone to block some of the wind chill, she began to feel the length of the night and their arduous journey catch up to her. Elsa should have been terrified of falling asleep, but right now she just couldn't be bothered to worry about it. As gentle warmth suffused her body her eyelids began to grow heavier and heavier. Before she feel asleep, she noted that her power was practically singing from the near contact of their bodies. Both of them were covered from head to toe, so there was no skin contact, and Elsa's mind briefly wondered what would happen if they were to actually touch.

"… Thank you, Reise." Was the last thing she remembered saying before slipping into unconsciousness.

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Feeling Elsa's breathing grow deeper and more even, Reise assumed she had fallen asleep. He was surprised by her offer originally, but supposed it made sense. He himself wasn't too cold, he was normally protected from simple things like temperature, but even he could admit it was quite chilly tonight. Reise was quite thankful for the cold weather, however as it meant they were both completely covered and had no chance to actually contact each other. With Elsa basically in his arms, or one arm to be exact, the call of his power to reach out for her was stronger than it ever had been before. Thrumming with quiet energy, his hand that wasn't holding her reached out to gently push a few strands of escaped hair off of her face. One moment, he felt burning fire race to the end of his fingertips before becoming an icy chill and racing back all the way down to his toes. He really thought he had better control over his power than this. Reise glanced down at the form huddled against him once more.

"I promise you don't want to connect with me, Sweet Elsa, for if you knew what terrible secrets this scarred mind held, you certainly would never let yourself be this close. Sleep tight, and know you are safe within my arms. Sleep tight, let no darkness sway your heart. Sleep tight, and never doubt yourself, who you are, or what you want, lest you lose sight of what is important." Reise scooted her slightly closer by pulling his gauntlet towards him, bringing her legs directly next to his.

"We will get you through this and save your kingdom. I promise you that, Elsa…"

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When Elsa awoke, she blinked her bleary eyes and noticed both the gentle sunlight cascading around their little outcrop, as well as the fact that snow had nearly trapped them under the rock it was piled so high. It was no longer falling, however, except for a few small flakes here or there which meant they could go as soon as they were ready. Stretching, she felt her hand hit one soft, slightly wet fleshy patch that moved as her hand dragged across it. Turning her head she nearly yelped in shock. While stretching, her hand had reached Reise's upper lip and proceeded to push it until some teeth were exposed. Quickly retracting her hands, she reassessed her situation. Her legs were both tucked together right against his, her side was pressed into his, and one of her hands had crept onto his thigh and rested there while they were sleeping. She suspected her body was just seeking heat, but still… At least he was asleep, to spare her some embarrassment.

"Reise, it's time to get up." One gentle shake later and his brilliant blue eyes snapped open.

"Good morning." Stretching his right arm and slowly extricating his left arm from around her he reach out as far as he could forward, and she heard a few bones pop. "I hope your sleep was pleasant."

"It was excellent… There wasn't even a whisper of a dream. Sorry if you were uncomfortable, those rocks don't feel good!"

Pleased that she had no nightmares, Reise responded "The only difference for me is I wasn't freezing, so I didn't mind at all, don't worry yourself over it."

Reise pushed himself onto his knees and crawled out of their little hovel. "Looks like the horses were fine, Ruin kept'em warm. Could you throw my pack to me?"

Elsa obliged and hucked his pack to his outstretched arm. "Help me out of here will you?"

He offered her a large, gauntlet covered hand which she grabbed with one of her own uncovered hands, feeling the chill of the metal as he pulled her out and onto her feet. Standing uncomfortably close, she cleared her throat and made to go check on her horse. Looking at the ground, she saw Ruin had managed to melt most of the snow around him, and they stood together, sides touching. "They do seem to be fine, things could have gone south very quickly if we lost you two."

Holding out her hand she began scratching under the chin of her horse. "You know, I never did get a name for you. I dub thee Sir Gallahad the Swift."

The horse snorted and rolled an eye towards her. "You heard me, Gallahad. Get used to it."

Hearing a soft chuckle from behind her, she turned her head to see Reise with a wry grin on his face. "I'm sure he appreciates his name, but we need to get a move on. Daylight burning and all that."

"Of course, of course. Give me one moment and we can be off." Elsa began retightening all the straps of the saddle, preparing for the long ride again. "Oh don't give me that look Gallahad. I needed to call you something, and "Horse" wasn't going to cut it."

Finishing their final preparations, they departed the clearing and rejoined the major road. Able to see where they were going now, they made quick progress and set out at a gallop. By Elsa's approximation, they should be arriving near the edge of the Enchanted Forest before the night was over, and then she wanted to visit the Northuldra to see if they had heard or seen anything in relation to the Meteor or any evils that might be afoot.

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Their troubles began again before they could even reach the standing stones that marked the entrance to the Enchanted Forest. Sir Gallahad the Swift stepped into a hole in the road covered by the thick snow and twisted its ankle. He wouldn't carry Elsa anymore, but he could still walk so they had to let him limp off back down the trail they came from. Even in the winter there was hardy berries and other native plants the horse could eat, even the grass around Arendelle was usually thick during the winter. She hoped he made it home safely. Using her astute mental acuity and reasoning methods, Elsa came to the conclusion that she would have to ride Ruin with Reise. This gave her pause for several reasons, the first of which being the horse looked kind of demonic, but mostly because being close to Reise at this point was incredibly difficult. Not because he was unpleasant or off-putting, but because the call in her blood to reach him and feel him and connect on a primal level made her scared. When she tamed the spirits originally, she felt a very small feeling similar to this one, and indulging that feeling had made her happy and saved Arendelle and the Enchanted Forest. Now, that burning, raging feeling was towards a man. Really a complete stranger who had stepped into her life and turned it upside down. Elsa supposed it wasn't technically his fault, he was just helping, but still she associated all the craziness of the past few days with his arrival.

Steeling her resolve to just deal with the situation, she had clambered aboard Ruin and held on tight as they took off. Their second issue arrived when they actually made it to the standing stones. A Northuldran villager was waiting on the edge of the forest, within the standing stones waiting. When he spotted Reise and Ruin, he hailed them and approached.

"You must turn back at once, sir, these woods are not safe! I am waiting for Elsa to return, but in the meantime I advise you turn back from whence you came."

Elsa peaked around Reise's shoulder. "I'm here now. What's going on?"

The Northuldran performed a quick bow to her. They had started picking up some of the Arendellian customs towards her, but really she didn't consider herself their queen. She just lived in the same area as them, but they thought differently. "Lady Elsa, dark times are upon us once again. We have been attacked by unknown creatures and some of the villagers have gone… Missing. We tracked them for a ways, but every single scout we sent just said they walked towards the water and disappeared."

"The waters nearest Ahtohallan? Tell me are the waters they spoke of on the shores where you can see the island?" Elsa shared a concerned look with Reise.

"Yes, Lady Elsa. As far as we can tell they either walked straight into the ocean or they are somewhere near that shore, but the scouts couldn't track them beyond there."

"Very good… who are you again?" Elsa asked.

"My apologies, my name is Shaw. Let me accompany you to the village at once." Turning around without waiting for a response, Shaw began running into the forest.

Looking to Elsa, who gave him a nod of confirmation, Reise nudged Ruin into moving forward to follow Shaw into the forest. As they crossed the border and entered Elsa's lands, Reise shivered. "Something is wrong here… I can feel it in the air. It hangs heavy, as though there were a thick fog, except there is nothing… Keep your guard up, Elsa."

Nodding her head, Elsa grabbed onto his waist tighter, head turned to the side and pressed into the hard plate on Reise's back. "We're going to make it, right? We'll figure this out and be ok?"

She felt metal-covered fingers placed on top of hers. "We're going to solve this mystery, beat the evil, and get you home. I swear on my life I will see this through." Elsa grabbed on a little bit tighter.

"Good. I know we really don't know each other, but if you don't mind I'm going to continue relying on you…" She let out soft giggle. "Shouldn't have made yourself so useful. Now you won't be able to get rid of me." Elsa didn't know why she was being so trusting or open. The reality was they had known each other for less than 5 days. To her it felt like a lifetime had passed since her first night terror, and Reise had been there for most of it. He was strong and sturdy, and felt good to lean against knowing she didn't have to bear the weight of the world alone.

When they did finally arrive at the village, Shaw was standing and waiting with both Yelana and Honeymaren, who both looked pleased to see Elsa. She had started walking along the path once they were closer and Reise let Ruin return to… Wherever he came from so as not to scare the villagers. Stepping forward she hugged Yelana, greeting her, then turning towards Honeymaren. Face split into a huge smile, Honeymaren ran forward and grabbed Elsa into a spine-breaking hug.

"Be a little careful will you, I'm quite delicate you know!" Elsa laughed as the breath was squeezed out of her.

Honeymaren laughed, "We all know that isn't true Elsa! You are as tough as the ancient glaciers and just as beautiful. Please, you cannot deceive us!"

Stepping out of the shaded path and into the light, Yelana saw the hooded figure of Reise step forward. "And who might this be, Lady Elsa?"

Turning to look at Reise herself, she said "Ah, this is my friend Reise. He's been helping me through some… troubling times." She turned back towards Yelana and continued. "I hear some villages are disappearing and not coming back?"

A look of deep weariness crossed Yelana's face. "Yes my dear, we are having many issues. Come, let us get more comfortable and we can continue that unpleasant conversation."

Turning around, they walked into the village proper and passed by the curious stares directed at Reise. Elsa noted the fact that most of the Northuldran's were armed with spears, something she had never seen before. She had never seen any of them carry weapons, as a matter of fact except for their staves. The feeling in the village was one of fear and hostility, but towards what Elsa didn't know. Entering the Village Elder's hut, Yelana ushered them onto the covered mats on the floor until they were gathered in a rough circle.

"To answer your question, Lady Elsa, yes villagers are disappearing. What's more is we are being attacked. At first it didn't seem like much, a few rabid smaller animals like squirrels or raccoons had to be put down which is not too unusual, just not in the numbers we saw them. Next came larger animals… Most deer walk right around the village, or through it if they are brave enough, but we recently had a small pack of deer try and attack one of the villagers hanging linens near the edge of the forest. It has started becoming larger and more dangerous animals as well. We lost a couple members to a bear that we encountered."

Yelana let out a deep sigh before continuing. "No animal I have ever seen has been filled with such fury and hate as these animals have. Even a field mouse came up and attempted to bite someone earlier today… I wish I had answers for my people, but honestly we are totally lost."

Looking defeated, Yelana looked down and closed her eyes. "We don't know what to do anymore. Our people are not fighters, we put that behind us even after your Grandfather did what he did. Our people don't have any real fighting experience against wildlife like this."

Elsa shook her head in terrible amazement. "This is awful, Yelana. Reise and I will do what we can to help. We were on our way to Ahtohallan to investigate it ourselves, but it sounds like this might be part of that as well."

Before she could continue on, distant shouts of alarm could be heard. Yelana looked worried, saying "The animals must be attacking again. Hurry, maybe with your magic we can avoid anyone else getting hurt today."

Nodding in agreement, everyone stood and rushed out of the tent. Looking around, they spotted the villagers sprinting towards the north side of the village. Rushing out to follow them, Reise stayed close behind Elsa, observing the forest around them and watching for other attackers that might appear. "Yelana, Honeymaren, Shaw, stay back. Reise and I can take care of ourselves, but you must stay safe."

Rounding the corner around one of the last huts before they reached the edge of the village, they spotted a line of 15 Northuldran's brandishing spears, attempting to hold back a pair of massive brown bears. The villagers hadn't phased the pair yet in the slightest, who at the moment were slowly crossing from the forest into the clearing. It was clear something was wrong with both of them, drool and slobber dripping out of their mouths in excess, their eyes wide and filled with anger and rage beyond belief. They both stood at almost head height to the Northuldran's while on all four paws and looked many many times heaver. With the villagers in the way, Elsa was very restricted in her use of magic for fear of hitting them. Seeing this, Reise looked down and put a hand on her shoulder. "Allow me."

Not waiting for a response, Reise stepped forward and began approaching the line of Northuldrans. Drawing his claymore with a loud rasping noise as it cleared the scabbard, a couple of the villagers looked behind them and yelped in fear seeing the large armored and armed man approaching them. They scrambled to move to the side, allowing easy access for him to walk by. As he approached the bears at a slow pace, their eyes finally snapped into focus and locked onto him. Letting out a roar of rage, they both charged at the same time. One stopped and rose up onto its hind legs, while the other attempted to bulldoze him. Reise swung the massive sword with ease, cleaving the first bear's head off in a single slash. Before Elsa or the villagers could blink, Reise raised his sword once and plunged it into the standing bear's chest. Elsa saw the tip disappear, then reappear in a burst of blood out its back. He stood there for a moment while the life quickly drained out of his opponent. With a quick yank he retrieved his sword, before stopping to wipe it off on the fur of the first slain creature, before sheathing it again and walking back to Elsa.

Momentarily shocked, Elsa could just stare numbly at the man who had just dispatched two massive grizzly bears in just a few short seconds, while making it look like child's play.

"You never told me you could do that." Was all she could think to say, still staring at him, slightly slack-jawed.

"There are a great many things you do not know about me, Lady Elsa. I suspect you will learn a few more new things about me before this journey is over." Reise returned to her side and clasped his hands in front himself, looking unphased by the brief slaughter.

Shaking her head, Elsa pulled herself together. "Let's return to Yelana and let her know what happened. I'll let you explain your little stunt."

Reise gave her a brief look and just said, "Gladly."

They rounded the corner once again to find Yelana by herself. "I assume we are safe, now that you two are back. What happened?"

Elsa responded first, "It was a couple of bears and something was obviously incredibly wrong with them. Their eyes, their behavior, something affected them. Reise… took care of them."

Speaking for the first time to Yelana, Reise said "Both of the bears are dead. I would advise burning the bodies. Elsa and I will help in any way we can to find out the cause and protect the village."

"You don't need to keep your hood drawn with us, boy. I promise we are all kind and friendly here, though Elsa can have quite a fiery temperament at times!" Chuckling at her own joke, Yelana gently poked Elsa with her cane. "Our protector is very passionate."

Laughing along with Yelana, Elsa turned serious after a moment and asked, "Yelana, what of the elemental spirits? Where did they go during all of this?"

Yelana shrugged. "We think they went into hiding. I don't blame them at all, but we haven't seen hide nor tail of a single one."

"I understand. Thank you for letting us know what is going on, we will help around the village as best we can. If we are to depart to Ahtohallan I want to make sure you are appropriately defended while we are gone."

"We would appreciate that greatly, My Lady. Your presence is a boon for us, and we all appreciate you more than we can say." Yelana dipped in a tiny bow, "It is beginning to get late. Go get some rest, I will get Honeymaren to show you to our guest house."

Yelana stepped out and returned after a few short minutes that Elsa and Reise shared in silence. Returning with the carefree girl, she directed them to follow. Honeymaren led them to a teepee near the other side of the village, fire burning in its center to start warming it up for its residents.

"Thank you again, Honeymaren, we appreciate the hospitality." Elsa said, turning towards her friend.

"Oh, I wouldn't thank us just yet dearie. A few of our homes were destroyed in some of the attacks so we don't have as much to offer as we normally would so… enjoy! Try not to have too much fun." She said with a parting wink.

Trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach, Elsa realized Honeymaren had left them both in front of the structure. That comment about some of the homes being destroyed must mean they had to share the space. Normally that wouldn't have bothered her, but the Northuldran homes were not known for being particularly large or spacious on the inside, since they spent most of their time in nature and the outdoors anyway.

"This vaguely reminds me of the rock we stayed under just the other night." Elsa remarked as she crawled into the entrance. Finding the space to be just as cramped as she feared it was going to be, she got out of the way so Reise could enter as well. The only furnishings the sparse room had was one large bedroll, large enough for two people to lay on covered nearly a third of the floor space. "Ah, I see what Honeymaren was joking about now."

Unrolling his blanket and laying it on the floor Reise said, "I think I'm going to turn in early, go ahead and take the bedroll, I'm used to sleeping while on the road. This will be no bother."

Sighing, Elsa unhooked her pack from her shoulder and decided not to argue. Feeling the now too-familiar feeling of her power tingling and rushing through her body in proximity to Reise, she prepared for a long night.

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_Visions of blood and tides of rage assail me,_

_My mind is a ship about to be capsized in an ocean of doubt,_

_I hear them calling my name, scrabbling hands reaching aboard,_

_But I cannot rest yet, I cannot give in._

_I will sail this ship straight and true,_

_So wait a while yet,_

_And someday I will be just like you._

Ode to the Damned


	6. Trauma

After crawling into the teepee that Elsa and he now called their home, Reise had the sinking suspicion that he would be spending just as much time within arms-length of Elsa as he had on their journey to the Northuldra. He wondered just how long his sanity would hold out with the feeling of dancing flames tingling under his skin, pulling him incessantly towards her. Being as old as he was meant he had seen just about everything there was to see, but this was something brand new. As much as it pained him to admit it, he found it to be quite exciting. Things started to get a little stale after so many years of doing the same thing; this promised to be different and new. Internally chuckling at his own monologue, Reise glanced over at Elsa, who appeared to be slightly mortified at the situation they found themselves in (again).

Dropping his pack on the ground, he promptly sat down and made himself as comfortable as possible. "I am worried for your people, Elsa. They have no idea what they are doing in the face of such danger."

Turning to face him as she herself sat down on the bedroll and laid her belongings aside, she said "I agree. You seem quite capable of handling yourself however, maybe we should stay a bit and show them ways to defend themselves. I built a castle of ice once as well, I don't see why I couldn't make them their own little fortress while we try and deal with whatever is causing this mayhem."

"That would be quite beneficial for them. As for training them, I'm not sure how much I can teach them about how to use their little sticks, but I will try. Maybe you can make them some weapons as well, spears aren't the easiest thing to learn how to use, and swords are a tiny bit more intuitive."

"Whatever you think is best. I can make some weapons that won't melt and some defenses, and you can show them how to use it. They might just stand a chance without us after all." Elsa grinned, happy to come up with some kind of solution to their new problem. They couldn't just leave the Northuldra alone while they traipsed up to Ahtohallan to see if there was anything in there, the villagers clearly needed serious help.

Reise shifted into a slightly more comfortable position as he began to slouch lower and lower to the ground. "Get a good night's sleep first then we will see about getting them ready for a fight…" Eye's blinking wearily, his body finally reached the ground and he started using his backpack as a pillow. "Goodnight, Ice Queen."

Laying herself down on the doublewide bedroll, and making sure she kept her feet to her half of the tent, she replied "You as well, mystery man. Don't think we'll get out of talking about your apparently ungodly strength, I can't be bothered to wrest the information from you right now." Eye's slowly blinking and opening less and less, Elsa laid her head down on the one pillow provided and began trying to fall asleep.

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During their journey to the Enchanted Forest, Elsa had pretty much slept right next to Reise each night, pretty much touching shoulder to shoulder or side by side as they normally didn't have much room to make camp in. Clearing more snow was always a pain and neither really wanted to deal with it. Elsa also didn't know if it was the anxiety of what was happening and what they were trying to do, or if she was just more susceptible to cold after becoming the fifth spirit of the elements, because each night she would wake up shivering. Nearly every time Reise would wake up as though he sensed her suffering, and wordlessly lift one corner of his blanket. Gratefully she would slide under his blanket, still wrapped in hers and press herself against the only source of warmth she had. She really thought she wouldn't have to deal with the cold and did not pack accordingly. Reise for the most part seemed indifferent to the temperature. He also slept in his armor every single night and kept his weapon right next to him usually, so he was an odd duck already. Elsa had tried to use Ruin as a personal space heater once, and wound up with a singed corner of her blanket for her efforts before she just told Reise to send him back to wherever he came from.

Elsa could practically see the gleeful look in Anna's eyes should she ever learn of their time spent sleeping together; Anna wouldn't stop ribbing her until she died of embarrassment. She missed her sister dearly, and wished she could have told her and been with her but this was something Elsa was determined to do alone…ish. Reise was certainly a great help, and if the slaughter of the two bears proved anything, it's that he was still just as full of mystery as he originally was, if not more. That didn't stop Elsa from putting her trust in him, probably more than she should. Watching him for the past few days had only shown her that he was consistently patient and kind. Top that off with the fact that he had his own powers and Elsa was sold. Sure his experience may have been different that hers, but ultimately he knew the feeling of being different and having a more difficult time connecting with other, more normal folks.

The warmth of the fire crackling in front of her slowly lulled her to sleep, as her thoughts drifted farther and farther away.

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Waking with a start, Elsa realized that she couldn't see. The hand pressed to her mouth and a glance upwards told her that Reise was right on top of her, legs planted next to her hips and a strange look on his face as he stared at the wall of the tent. Seeing her eyes open he held up his other gauntlet covered hand and held a single finger to his lips. Elsa got the message loud and clear. Trusting Reise's instincts was something Elsa had learned to do quite quickly on their journey; she had never found them to be wrong.

Slowly, grabbing his claymore from his side of the tent, he got up and moved to the entrance flap of their teepee. Peeling back the covering fabric ever so slightly, he glanced outside. Elsa didn't see him react or signal anything, so she assumed he didn't see anything at the moment. Straining her ears, she closed her eyes in an attempt to pick up any stray sounds that might alert her as to what was going on. Hearing nothing out of the ordinary, she turned back to Reise with a questioning look. He shrugged and gestured for her to follow him. He crept silent as a cat out the entrance, claymore close behind, taking special care not to drag it on the ground. Elsa followed as quietly as she could, being in no armor and weighing significantly less she still heard herself and winced at every slight noise she made. Standing outside the teepee, Elsa couldn't spy anything immediately alarming at first. Their abode faced the forest, and was fairly close to the edge of the village so they couldn't see much at first. Slowly creeping around the edge the teepee, they spotted a few villagers standing outside of their tents as well.

Elsa briefly wondered what they were doing, as from what she could tell it was quite late. She could see at least five standing near or outside of varying tents, seemingly waiting for something. Glancing at Reise, she could practically hear the cogs turning in his head as he tried to puzzle out what the internal warning bells were trying to tell him. Taking one more ginger step into the snow next to Reise, Elsa felt goosebumps beginning to form all down her arms and neck. Something was definitely off, but what that was she had no clue.

Giving up on subtlety, Reise stepped forward with a loud _crunch_ in the snow and announced themselves. "Who goes there? What are you doing?"

The slow, sinking feeling forming rapidly turned to an anchor and dropped like a rock in Elsa's stomach as five pairs of eyes ever so slowly began turning towards them in unison. Something was definitely wrong. The slack jaws, wide open eyes, and vacant stares reminded her of the bears she had just witnessed the prior afternoon. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she snapped back to herself. "Be ready, Elsa. If they attack, I do not want to kill them but they may leave me no choice. The most important thing is to keep yourself safe. Do not hesitate to defend yourself, no matter what."

The anchor hit the bottom of her toes and turned to ice, freezing her where she stood and chilling the blood in her veins. Reise took a few steps forward and plunged his sword into the ground, sinking a good couple feet into the dirt. With a resounding clang he slammed his massive gauntlet into his chest plate, drawing the stares of the crazed people. She could see them a little better now, they appeared to be Northuldrans… Yelana did say some people had disappeared. Maybe this was them. Elsa steeled her will; Reise was right. They needed to protect themselves and save these people if they could, but not at the risk of their own life.

Finally, one of the possessed stepped forward and let out an inhuman ear splitting shriek, before all five and a few others that they hadn't seen charged forward. She saw not all of them were unarmed, like she originally thought, but had small weapons. The glint of a dagger shined in one of their hands, and she saw another with a rock clenched in a fist. Elsa began to feel very worried for Reise. Deciding to take matters into her own hands, she froze the ground immediately in front of Reise, but they weren't working with a lot of space so there would be other ways to get around. She built walls of ice in between all the entrances of the tents, preventing any flanking on the part of the crazed Northuldrans. As they approached the ice, they simply leapt as far as they could and skidded the rest of the way, not slowing down in the slightest. Her heart felt like a hammer in her chest, worry blossoming into full blown fear as the mass of now 10 or 12 Northuldran's pressed down onto Reise.

The first man to reach Reise was summarily grabbed with a large gauntlet around his throat and thrown back into the mass of bodies. Charge disrupted as several of them stumbled and tripped over the new obstacle, a few other flowed around the pileup to continue their attack. Seeing one with a knife coming from the left and another bared handed one from the right. Reise prioritized the bigger threat and launched a devastating kick into their midsection with a sickening crack, sending them flying back onto the ice and skidding a good 10 feet. During that process the second Northuldran launched themselves onto Reise, attempting to bite and claw any part of him they could reach. Elsa could only watch in horror as the man attempted to savage her companion. Catching mostly steel in his mouth he failed to deal any damage before Reise plucked the offending man off and repeated the process of flinging him backwards.

In the mayhem and distraction, one of the crazed villagers ran around the field of ice and Reise straight towards Elsa. Remembering Reise's words, she brought her powers to bare and attempted to freeze the charging woman's feet into place. Elsa didn't know if it was the shock of the situation they found themselves in, or just that the villager was faster then she originally judged, but she missed. Icy sprouts began to appear under the legs of the woman, but she leapt to the right and continued her death charge. Suddenly, the large amount of space had closed between them to only be a few feet. Elsa froze. She knew she needed to act or she was likely about to die or be seriously injured, but her hand simply wouldn't move. Try as she might, her hand wouldn't obey her commands. Fury filled her. She refused to be resigned to die again, she was going to live with all her might and march forward into the future, fear be damned. Tapping into the primal rage stirring within, Elsa released the pent up energy she felt building inside at a furious rate. She felt the rage explode out of her body, icy wrath shooting into the air. This life would either bend to her will… or she would shatter it.

Panting from the exertion, Elsa opened the eyes she never realized she had closed, before stepping back from an outstretched hand mere inches from her face, unmoving. Gasping slightly, she took a better look at the would-be assailant. Skin glittering, hair permanently stuck as though in a strong breeze, the woman looked as though she was frozen in time. Elsa saw her skin glittering, and upon closer inspection, realized the woman was frozen completely solid. Not just put into a frozen block, Elsa had managed to drain all the heat from the woman, instantly killing her and freezing her in place. Snapping out of her reverie, she looked back towards Reise.

Clapping his hands together in the brief couple seconds he gained himself, Elsa heard a large crack and resounding rumble as the earth shook. Confused, she glanced around to try and see what was happening, but had to catch herself as she nearly tripped and fell. Raising his hands in the air, Reise brought them slamming into the ground, and with a final groan the earth released a solid wall of rock completely surrounding the now concentrated group of Northuldrans except for the side facing Reise and Elsa. "Block them off the rest of the way, quickly!"

Understanding dawning in her, Elsa quickly raised her hands and crafted a strong ice wall that merged with the rest of the rocky structure, forming a prison. Panting from the shared exertion, they both turned to each other.

Reise was the first to speak. "This should hold them for as long as we need… I recognized them as part of this village from their attire. Whatever happened to the bears has happened to these villagers. It looked like they were about begin murdering everyone else in the village." Glanced to her side, Reise saw the frozen woman. His eyes seemed to show approval.

"That is certainly what it seemed to me as well… What alerted you?" Elsa asked.

"I felt that slimy darkness that invaded your dreams nearby again, and I feared you were going to be plunged into another hellish dream again, so I checked on you. When I saw you sleeping like a babe I simply knew something was wrong."

"Well I am glad that you are so sensitive to this vile magic invading our land. Speaking of magic… that was quite the stunt you just pulled." Elsa cocked her head to the side and gave him a stern look. "Mind explaining that one to me?"

Having the decency to look slightly ashamed, Reise rubbed the back of his head. "I may have been, ah, underselling myself when I told you and Anna that I was just "Magic Sensitive". Beyond that there isn't much to tell, I promise you. You did quite the number there yourself."

Elsa had the feeling that there was much more to tell, but she would let it go because once again, they had bigger issues at hand. "So what do we do with them now?"

"If there is no way for us to cure this curse on them as it stands, then we will leave them trapped here. If we can kill the creature causing all this mayhem, maybe they will be freed."

Elsa nodded. "It's certainly worth trying. Let's see if we can find Yelana and tell her what's going on…"

Elsa evaporated her extra walls of ice she had constructed and the floor, leaving just the ice wall covering the stone prison. Looking around, she saw the Northuldrans gathering around the new structure in the middle of their village, whispering and pointing. The crowd parted as a torchbearer and Yelana broke through. "Elsa, Reise, what in the world is going on?"

Reise was the first to speak. "The missing Northuldrans returned, but they share more in common with those bears last night than they do with us now. They were standing outside of tents with weapons, preparing to strike. Whatever is happening to the wildlife can happen to humans too. We trapped them inside that construct, and with a little help we can fish one out and try and cure him but… I'm not sure what's going to happen or if we can."

Elsa nodded, reaffirming his story. Yelana pointed at two men near the edge of the group. "Go check on the scouts we had posted around the village. They should have alerted us to this threat if they detected them. Elsa, maybe you can help us up to the ledge so we can examine our returned family."

"Of course." Elsa generated a set of stairs and a small platform leading up to the edge of the ice and rock walls. Reise followed and Elsa and Yelana scaled the stairs and peered over the edge. They quickly had to lean back as a few rocks were launched out of the pit, attempting to hit them. Slowly glancing back over, they saw the majority of the group standing shoulder to shoulder, unmoving and staring back up at them with vacant eyes. Two of them lay on the ground, body's contorted and obviously not living anymore. Looking at their wounds, Elsa realized they were the only two Reise had actually hit. One's throat had been crushed, and the other's chest was caved in from the massive kick he had delivered to it.

Letting out a sigh from the depths of her soul, Yelana said "It is good you two were here, or far more Northuldrans would have perished this night, if not all of us. We will retrieve the two bodies later and leave the rest of this rabble in their prison. Elsa, if you would be so kind as to shackle them and separate them, I refuse to take any chances."

Surprised by the steely determination evident in the elder's voice, Elsa obliged. Icy chains rose from the ground, grasping the ankles and wrists of every possessed Northuldran, which then dragged them to the walls and bound them. More walls of ice appeared, separating every individual and sealing them off from the rest. The trio stepped down from the stairs and the two men from earlier approached them. "We're sorry, Yelana, but the two guards we posted, Velki and Neerie are dead… It looks like they were beaten and stabbed repeatedly. They must not have raised the alarm when they saw their tribe members until it was too late."

Bowing her head, Yelana took a deep breath. "Ok. Everyone gather round. Elsa and her companion will meet with me for now. We are going to post several more guards in pairs. We will discuss what is to be done, and meet tomorrow at first light. Please, try and get some sleep."

She began gesturing to several members of the tribe to pair up and sent them off to different areas of the village to watch over. "Remember, if anything at all strange happens, get someones attention and group up. We can't take any more chances. If a missing Northuldran appears, assume they are extremely dangerous and will try to attack you. Be careful out there."

Following the elder into her tent once again, Elsa and Reise took a seat, with Yelana following suit shortly after. "Tell me what you know, if anything about what is going on and what we can do to fix it. This has to come to an end, as soon as possible."

Elsa glanced over at Elias, who gave her a reassuring nod. Taking a deep breath, she spoke. "I had several night terrors that were so visceral and real, I thought I was going to die every single time… As it turns out, Reise was able sense the dark magic assaulting my mind and also saw images of Ahtohallan. I fear something dark took up residence in those halls of ice. Tonight, Reise woke up because he sensed that magic again and thought I was having a nightmare. When he learned I wasn't, we both went to investigate the village and see what was amiss when we saw some Northuldrans standing outside of their tents, which we thought was odd. Reise attempted to interact with them from afar, but when they turned we knew something was very, very wrong. He attempted to stop them without killing any, in case they are able to be saved, but as you saw it was a brutal fight."

"I pass no blame on you, Reise, you defended our village and protected our children. None can fault you for defending yourself as best you can. Tell me, what can we do to put an end to this? I fear we won't last much longer against these tides of evil."

Reise was the one to speak this time. "We briefly discussed this the other night… If it is ok with you, Yelana, we can stay and teach the villagers how to fight. We can give them weapons and means of self-defense. After that, Elsa and I will venture to the island and see if we can best the vile darkness that has invaded our lives and put an end to it once and for all. Assuming it is there, we would then return and share with you the good news and see if your affected villagers return to normal. It wouldn't be easy but we don't want to leave the village undefended, even if we cannot stay."

Yelana nodded, looking more exhausted then Elsa had ever seen her. "That will have to do, Reise, that will have to do. At first light I will tell the villagers of our plan, and you may begin. You may return to your lodging if you wish, I will be here if you need anything."

Bowing to the elder, they rose and departed. Upon reaching their tent, Reise held open the flap and gestured for her to go first. Feeling quite frazzled, Elsa hurried into the tent and collapsed onto her bedroll. All should could see was a repeating memory of her freezing, momentarily unable to prevent her own imminent demise. She shuddered, a lone tear dripping down her face. Looking up she saw Reise eyeing her with concern. "I'll be fine… I promise. I've just never experienced anything like… that. I've never killed anyone before."

Nodding in understanding, Reise sat down as close as he could get to her without touching her, giving her the space she needed. "I understand what it is to do the unthinkable and wonder to yourself… Do I just accept this? Is this my new normal? Does this feeling of dread or these knots ever leave my stomach? I promise you, it will get better. You will understand you had no choice. Sometimes, you have to act, no matter the consequences, especially in regards to your own life. I'm not saying it is easy or just simply disappears, but with a little understanding you can work your way through anything and come out a stronger person."

"I'm sorry for this, I'm sure I appear quite the mess right now…" Her hair was frazzled after the intense action. Her casual blue night dress was disheveled, one side pulled lower while the other was too high revealing a pale shoulder.

Reise simply smiled at her "No matter what you look like or do, you will always be a beautiful woman, Elsa, don't doubt that." Elsa normally would have been embarrassed by such a comment, but in the moment she couldn't focus on it.

Realizing her hand was shaking uncontrollably, she grabbed it with the other and gently rocked herself, trying to not lose herself to the roaring feelings within. "You remember that night we spent in the blizzard? Under that rocky outcrop where I was freezing and we shared the blanket?"

Reise chuckled softly, "That was just a few short days ago, of course I remember."

"Would you mind if we did that again? I could really use someone right now."

Nodding his head and wasting no time, Reise gently ushered her out of his way. He dragged his backpack over for more support and plopped down. He dragged the blankets over himself first, then flipped the side open before gently pulling her shoulder closer until she was in a similar position to that night, nestled in between one of his large arms and his chestplate.

"I hope this is comfortable, I know the armor makes it a little difficult to get settled."

Elsa shook her head quickly. "It's perfect."

Settling down, Reise brought his mostly uncovered hand over and began brushing strands of hair out of her face. Feeling more at home than she had in a long time, Elsa let out a deep sigh. The feelings and memories were still all around her mind, trying to grab her attention and drag her down, but the warmth she could feel emanating from Reise, and the gentle rise and fall of his chest helped her focus on something else. "How are you so strong?"

While the question seemed simple on the surface, the deeper meanings were not missed by Reise. "Many, many years of practice."

"I suppose I should get started, if I hope to be as strong as you someday…"

"I don't know that I'm a great example or pillar to strive to be like, but being "strong" is a journey. It starts with a single step, and never ends. Every day that passes, you will have traveled further down that path, until one day, you realize that those dark forests and scary nights you survived… Aren't quite as scary as they used to be. Then many years later, you look back and realize that those places are just as scary as they were from the start. The only difference is you, and the courage you possess. Elsa, the courage I see in you astounds me, you are much stronger than you think, but fear will always exist. Fear is healthy, in the right amounts. Don't let it rule you, but don't ignore it either, and you will be stronger than I ever was." Reise finished saying. He continued to stroke her hair while he talked, trying to be as soothing as possible.

Elsa adjusted slightly in his arm. Silence filled the tent for a short while. "You're wrong you know. You're the strongest person I've ever met, right up there with Anna. Once, I ran away from my problems, and almost cast Arendelle into an eternal winter. Then I ran off on a whim and almost destroyed Arendelle once again, in a flood this time. Now, I want to be strong like you two so I can protect everyone I care about and our people, both of Arendelle and Northuldra."

"I have no doubt you already are, Ice Queen, you just need time to see it for yourself. One day you'll feel it, and you'll know I'm right. Until then, I'll be here to remind you lest you forget."

Feeling Elsa twitching slightly, Reise looked down. She was laughing, he realized, and simply quirked one eyebrow in questioning. "You always know just what to say, Reise. Thank you."

"Anytime."

Slipping off into a dream-filled sleep, Elsa's breathing evened out and eye's closed all the way. Every time she awoke to a vision of a frozen hand reaching to claw her face she was comforted by Reise's presence and hand stroking her hair again. At some point she had rolled over, back towards Reise, and wrapped both hands around his arm, grasping tightly.

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Reise wasn't sure how she was comfortable, seeing how Elsa had curled up around his large gauntlet covered hand like a body pillow, head resting on his slightly softer muscled arm. He let out a sigh. Killing… Killing wasn't an easy thing. Reise didn't care to think of the number of times he had killed to make him so numb to it. Someone had once told him that every person he had ever killed had stayed with him, haunting his sleep and dreams. After many hundreds of years, Reise couldn't picture their faces anymore. It mostly came to him in the middle of the night like a vile serpent, tendrils of dread wrapping around him and constricting until he couldn't breathe. It would whisper in his ear, telling him this existence was better off without him, that everyone he knew and loved would be grateful if he would just die, that killing himself would bring balance far more than anything he had ever done. Reise managed to ignore it, most nights. Those other nights…

Reise glanced down at Elsa's sleeping form, and felt the tendrils uncoil slightly. In the dim light provided by the moon and the small hole in the roof, he could make out a shock of platinum-blonde hair against his arm. He could feel her legs pressing on his gauntlet, as she had brought her knees up to her chest and formed a defensive ball. "It's alright, little one. Nothing can hurt you here, I swear it on my life." He resumed petting her hair, trying to convey comfort into her thoughts to banish the darkness from her mind.

Reise was familiar with the sensation of falling, he had done it many times. After so long, the sensation of falling for someone was quite different than the other.

_Like a serpent in the night,_

_They coil and wind, wrapping tight._

_I thought I escaped you,_

_Dark demons of my youth._

_As I've learned in time,_

_Black thoughts cover me in rime,_

_I realize fearfully,_

_My demons will be with me for all eternity._

Ode to My Demons


	7. Trepidation

Once again, Elsa woke up being held by someone she had met right around a week ago. She trusted Reise after the experiences they had shared, but it still seemed a strange thing to her. If she wasn't some comfortable she would have been tempted to get up and check on the village. Adjusting herself and stretching her arms into the air, she let out a yawn. She rolled more onto her other side and looked up into the cowl of Reise's cloak. His eyes were closed, chest rising and falling with an even tempo. It was bright enough she could see most of his face, and took the opportunity to study the intricacies of this strange man who had entered her life. The scar was the most prominent thing, framing most of his features and Elsa idly wondered what caused it. The symmetry and his original story told her it was man made, but she wondered if it was really necessary to access his power. Beyond that he had a sharp nose, turning in the slightest bit at the end. His eyebrows matched his hair, being a pure white color, and were slightly furrowed at the moment, as though he was contemplating something serious.

"No…. Please no…." Said so quietly she almost missed it and probably would have if she wasn't staring at his face. The slight look of contemplation turned to fear, then anguish. Alarmed, Elsa shook Reise, trying to snap him out of whatever nightmare he was having. As suddenly it began, it was over. His face returned to a blank slate, a single tear dripping from one eye.

"So you have your own demons to fight… Don't worry, I won't let anyone hurt you anymore." Wiping away his tear, Elsa put her arm across his chest and hugged him tight. A slight shift told her he was conscious now, one of his arms rising to cover his mouth as he too let out a large yawn.

"Everything alright, Elsa?" Glancing up, she saw his gleaming blue eyes peering into hers. Elsa could practically feel the strength of will and conviction Reise held within him through that gaze. She also knew even the mightiest warriors can fall victim to their demons of the mind, no matter how strong they appear on the surface.

"You were having a nightmare of some kind… I was just trying to reassure you that you aren't alone." Giving him one last squeeze, she moved to get up, but found herself trapped by the hand that had suddenly moved to her back and pressed her to his chest in another hug.

"Thank you, Elsa… It means more than you know." Feeling the arm fall from her back, she patted his chest and pushed herself into a standing position.

"Let's get this day started… and pray for no more casualties." Grim thoughts coming back to the forefront, Reise nodded.

"The faster we can get the Northuldrans some weapons and basic training the better. We shouldn't delay too long, but if we don't… They won't survive any more serious attacks." A look of concern crossing his face, he also began rising to his feet. The little teepee quickly became crowded as Reise hunched over avoiding hitting his head on the roof. They crawled out through the entrance and began looking around. Some of the villagers had started cooking fires and the wafting smells of cooking meat rose to meet them.

Greeting the small group of Northuldrans, they ate a quick meal comprised of meats and a few small fruits, before seeing Yelana making her way towards them. "Ah, Reise, Elsa, good morning. When you are done here, come to my tent again. We must finish our discussions."

Nodding in agreement, they quickly finished up and made their way to meet with the elder. Reise lifted the tent flap for her, and Elsa stepped in. She heard him follow her through, tent flap dropping, and she moved to take a seat across from Yelana. A clank and soft swear told her Reise had done the same.

"Morning. I hope you two rested well, we have much to discuss." Yelana began.

Looking towards Reise with a slight blush, Elsa responded "We slept well enough after the attack. We have a plan we would like to discuss with you, if we may."

"Excellent, I will let you start then. Tell us what you plan to do and we will aid as best we can."

"To start, we do want to go to Ahtohallan and see if the darkness taking over our lands is located there. If it isn't, then we will have to find it somewhere else. We want to give the Northuldrans a fighting chance when we leave. Reise is an amazing warrior, and will train your villagers in how to use a sword, and I will provide swords of enchanted ice. They won't melt for several weeks, long enough for us to get back. I know it's not an ideal situation… But it should save some lives."

Yelana nodded her head. "I don't see any better solution than that. We cannot move, as the animals will attack us no matter where we go, and my people will refuse to leave the Enchanted Forest… Abandoning their ancient home is something not even you or I could convince them to do."

"We understand. One thing that I am concerned about is the elements, I haven't seen any of them since we got here. Normally they are quite playful and find me as soon as I show up…" Elsa said, eyebrows drawn into a concerned look.

Reise spoke up "The elements are living things, and are likely susceptible to the dark energies that permeate the land right now. Since your forest has living avatars, they may be hiding in fear. From your story, Elsa, I understand they were angry and needed to be calmed, it wouldn't surprise me at all if they were in hiding right now."

Elsa nodded, "Seems reasonable to me. We don't have time to worry about them right now, sadly. After this is all over we can track them down. Yelana, I also want to build you some walls to better protect yourself. They should last just as long as the swords, this fight should be well and done by the time it starts melting."

"You honor us, Lady Elsa. We will take whatever protections you can grant us." Yelana bowed slightly. "Thank you again, for all your help. Let us begin at once, I don't want to risk any more lives. I will gather everyone together, met us in the center of the village and we will begin."

Departing the tent together, Reise and Elsa stood by while the villagers were rounded up. Elsa couldn't help but notice the haggard appearance of most of them, this fight had drained them all severely. Yelana stepped forward.

"Elsa and Reise will be departing to defeat the evil plaguing our lands and corrupting our people and animals. They are going to help us prepare while they are gone, have no fear."

Elsa stepped forward, forming a gleaming sword of ice in her hands and planting it in the ground in front of her. "I know you have all been put to the test these past days. Leaving is going to pain me greatly as your protector, but I will not leave you undefended. First, I will turn your village into a fortress. Once, I made an entire castle and lived inside of it, and now I will make your village a fortress."

Holding up the sword to draw attention to it, she continued. "Reise is a powerful warrior, and can teach you how to use this sword. I will make more like it, that you might be armed against the animals or anyone else that comes to harm you. They are made of enchanted ice, and will last long enough for us to leave and come back to you. We intend to vanquish the darkness assaulting the land and banish it once and for all."

Still silent, the villagers glanced around at each other. Elsa wasn't quite sure what she expected their response to be. Silence wasn't one of the options she had considered, however. Glancing towards Reise, she wasn't sure what to do next. Before she thought too much farther, one of the villagers stepped forward. "You honor us with your aid, Lady Elsa. We will gladly accept and strive to become the best fighters that we can under Sir Reise's tutelage, so that we may defend families. Please teach us."

The remaining villagers gathered in a line and offered Elsa their hand, thanking her and asking her to guide them. A few offered praise, and a few more said nothing. When they were finished, Reise spoke up.

"Elsa will make us some tools to start practicing with. We aren't going to be using actual swords to begin with, as you are more liable to hurt yourself than any attacking animal at the start." He continued on, explaining how he was going to train them and what he expected from them. "Those that have other responsibilities may leave to do as they need, but everyone will receive training at some point. It might save your life."

The villagers that had other duties to perform left, while Reise gathered the rest into formation, evenly spaced apart with a large ice pole in their hands. Reise had helped her make an evenly balanced sword first, which was quite the challenge as it turned out, before having her make some simple similarly-weighted poles to practice with. Elsa observed as the villagers were led through simple swings and motions, getting them familiar with the weight and motions of the weapon they would be wielding. Reise never once took off his armor or his cloak, preferring to keep his face covered at all times.

A few days passed, and they fell into a simple routine. Elsa would continue her work on the walls, which was done for the most part except for some finishing touches. Some of the walls were curved naturally, others were connected via sharp joints and intersections, but she had managed to construct a wall surrounding the entire village with no breaks except for the entrances. She had managed to make a gate winch and pulley system as well, something she was quite proud of. Reise continued his training, which from what Elsa could see involved sparring today. She had asked him about their progress, and Reise had simply said they knew how to avoid hurting themselves or each other by the time he was done, it would be a success. With her limited knowledge of swordplay, the Northuldrans seemed to be doing alright. They were much more confident than they had been at the start, proper grip being used now and postures adjusted to be as good as possible.

Adjusting the position of a villagers hands, Elsa saw Reise giving advice to a pair that was sparring, making hand motions and steps to indicate what to do. She smiled watching him interact with the Northuldrans. Both he and the villagers had stepped it up, with Reise always on the move, training and teaching for most of the day, while the villagers would complete their tasks for the day and begin training with a vigor Elsa rarely saw.

Hope was rising within her. The walls would already protect them from most of the dangers of the outside world, but when they had to leave to hunt or if worst came to worst they would be able to defend themselves. Smiling, Elsa returned to her work. She finished adding the menacing spikes that would disincline any creatures from trying to scale the slick wall. Speaking to Yelana, she had learned the old woman had already begun planning guard schedules and armed patrols to leave with the hunters.

Later in the day, Elsa had a chance to sit down with Reise to eat. "How goes training your army of formidable warriors?"

Reise gave her a side-eye. "Sarcasm aside, they aren't half bad. Most people don't realize the core method of training a good swordsman is repetition. I'm missing the time necessary to give them the ingrained reactions that are so important, but I can make sure they don't accidentally stab each other and know where to point the sharp end."

Elsa grinned back at him. "Did you learn to fight from your tribe, or during your travels?"

"Mostly during my travels… It turned out I was quite the natural and excelled far quicker than most expected." Elsa saw his expression turn wistful, and was reminded of an old man retelling his favorite story to children. "I've been fighting for so long it's become second nature to me… My constant companion, besides Ruin and my sword. I'd go so far as to say I'm probably the most powerful warrior in the kingdom."

"Well I don't doubt that, you're not just a great warrior you can also use magic! I suppose it's just another mystery to add to your pile. Are you gonna tell me how you did that yet or are you going to keep dodging my questions?"

Rubbing the back of his head, Reise glanced back and forth between Elsa and the ground. "The shaman's in my tribe taught me control of the elements, and they answer me when I call. Not like the spirits you encountered that manifested as living versions of the elements, my power speaks to the living currents and force that is each prime element. Your little friends are aspects of that, sort of embodiments of the power into a vessel to exist in the world."

"Look at you, revealing your secrets to me. Don't get too loosey goosey now or you might reveal too much." She gently punched his armored shoulder with a small clang.

"You wound me… I will never give up my mystery lest you lose all interest in me!" Grinning Reise elbowed her back, right in her ribs.

"Oof, you gotta be careful there friend, you are much stronger than I am, that hurt a little." Elsa said with a smile. "I'll let you get back to your training, the walls are pretty much done so once you are satisfied with your training and preparations we can depart."

"Of course. I'll see you later!" Reise stood and walked back to his clearing where the villagers awaited. Watching him as he left, Elsa couldn't help but admire him. She didn't think she would ever lose interest in him, mystery or not… Remembering a few last things she wanted to discuss with Yelana, she walked away, giving one last glance in his direction before leaving.

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Elsa watched her breath turn into clouds while she exhaled as she walked with Reise back to their tent. The sky had darkened and it wasn't clear enough for the villagers to practice anymore, so Reise was retiring for the night, having been up since dawn. "You know, I should think when this is all over I will need another person besides the Northuldrans to manage my affairs, as Queen of the Enchanted Forest. I think you would be an excellent fit as the guardian of the forest. I know you have a tribe to get back to, but maybe once you're done visiting them you can come back and stay here with me."

Turning towards her, Elsa could see the dim glow of his eyes from the hood. "I will have to consider your very kind offer, Lady Elsa. It would bring me great joy to serve under the most powerful, beautiful queen in the world."

Face warming in the cold night air, Elsa smacked his arm. "When your face isn't hidden in the dark you are quite the specimen yourself, you know that, don't you?"

Reise put on a grim smile. "Most people don't look into my face for too long, though your words warm my heart. Truly, Elsa, your words mean more than you know."

Elsa looked back up into his eye's, which she found staring right back at her. That same sense of timeless she once felt enveloped her again, briefly consuming her before he looked away, releasing her from its grip. Elsa was young, still. She knew she had many years before she really had to worry about not being able to find anyone to spend the rest of her days with, but she also knew that for people like her, finding someone who truly cared about her regardless of her power or station was even more difficult than usual. She couldn't know for sure, but Reise seemed like the kind of person Elsa wanted to have stick with her. Not only was he powerful, but he was a protector, a shelter from the ice-cold storm that she was surrounded by.

They had been so busy recently she wasn't too focused on it, preferring to collapse into her bedroll and pass out right away, but the pulsating tug of her power was pushing its way to the surface, desperately trying to be heard. It was hard to describe, but she literally felt like her body was leaning to the right, trying to collide with Reise just to be closer. Still puzzled all these days later to her power's reaction, she hid her confusion from Reise with a smile instead. Coming upon their temporary home, they both crawled in and laid down. Reminded of the morning, watching the nightmares torment Reise in his sleep, Elsa turned to him and sitting up. "Scoot over here, will you?"

Confused, Reise turned towards her and where she was indicating. Thinking maybe she just wanted to adjust her bedroll he obliged, scooting his whole frame towards her side of the teepee. As he want to lay his head back down, he found his head grabbed my two cold hands and placed onto something warm and soft.

Elsa could see the confusion in his eyes, but he obliged and started scooting his large frame towards her. As he went to lay his head back down, she snatched his pillow away and scooted herself forward. When his head reached where his pillow should have been, it instead landed in her lap. His eye's opened again upon contact with her legs. "I saw you having a nightmare of some sort in the morning… You helped me a couple of times, I just want to return the favor. Maybe this won't gave you as much comfort as it did for me, but I hope it helps…"

A brief mixture of emotions flashed across Reise's face, too fast for Elsa to see any particular one. He seemed to settle on relaxed, a half smile tugging at the corner of his lips. She gently pulled his hood back, and he lifted his head so she could tuck it to the side and out of the way. She stroked the few strands of white hair that fell in disarray back into place. Her hands followed the lines of the scar dominating most of Reise's face, before coming to an end on the bridge of his nose, where she gently booped him.

"You're a strange one, has anyone ever told you that?"

"Anna made that quite clear to me several times, but thank you for confirming it for me." A wry grin had spread across her face. She gently cupped both hands around his face. "Thank you for being here. I get the feeling you are significantly more than you claim to be… and I don't really care either way. In the brief time that I've known you I've never met anyone more human, regardless of how you look. I might have been on large, perilous adventures before, but I am still scared deep down I'm going to let everyone down because I'm young and inexperienced… and even now there are things about my power I don't understand. I've gained so much in the past few years and yet I still feel like I don't know enough. You haven't asked me for anything and have supported me. I honestly don't know who you are, Reise, but I appreciate every part of you. So thanks."

Finishing her short speech, Elsa return to gently stroking the side of his face. "I can't think of any other strangers I would rather have shared this journey with. Now go to sleep, it's my turn to watch over you."

The half-smile turned into a grin. "How about this, when we survive this fight and we free your lands from its evil reign, I will tell you all about me. Nothing held back. No mysteries will remain."

Eyebrows raised, Elsa looked at him in disbelief. "I'll believe it when I hear it. Now shush and sleep."

"At your command, My Lady." His eyes closed slowly, radiance dimming until they were no longer visible.

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Reise prided himself on being in absolute control of himself and his powers. When Elsa caressed his face for the first time, the shock from his power snapping into action nearly jolted him upright. It was all he could do to prevent it from reaching out to her and grabbing on like a drowning man grabs a lifeline. Internally locking himself down, he listened to her when she chided him to fall asleep and closed his eyes. He meant his promise to her, he would tell her the truth of his ancient existence if they survived the encounter they were quickly approaching. Horsemen weren't unkillable, contrary to popular belief, they were simply incredibly powerful and smart. If the range of powers exerted by the evil force was anything to go by, it was going to be a doozy of a fight to slay the thing. Reise wouldn't let anything happen to Elsa and that was all that mattered. He understood her and she had some understanding of him, and wasn't afraid to reach out to him and offer comfort. No one had done that in a very, very long time… Reise fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, something he hadn't experienced in hundreds of years.

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Elsa, confident the man using her lap as a pillow was currently asleep, leaned against the wooden pole that supported their teepee. She had never been in a relationship and honestly had started to think she would never be in one after becoming the fifth spirit of the elements. She seemed quite unreachable to most people, and the few that could were the Northuldra, which didn't exactly leave a large pool of potential candidates. Having someone who both understood her plight and had powers to match hers wasn't something she had ever expected, but now that he was here Elsa wasn't ready to let go. When they finished their fight, nothing was stopping Reise from immediately up and leaving. He said he was a traveler, and if he went back to his tribe or resumed traveling, he would be nowhere near Elsa. If he was nowhere near Elsa, then she couldn't ever ask to be held while she slept or offer him comfort or chase away his nightmares. She didn't know exactly what she wanted, but she didn't want to not have those things anymore. In fact, she would greatly prefer having those things within arm's reach at all times. Offering him the position in her "Kingdom" had been an effort to get him to stay without seeming to be overbearing or too needy.

Elsa sincerely hoped he stayed true to his promise and told her everything about him, then didn't leave. That would be a dream come true for her. For now, however, all she could do was hope.

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_In my dreams I see_

_The endless tides of a rolling sea._

_Alone I sit on the rocky shore_

_Waiting for something more._

_Ships come, but they never land_

_Fearing the gnashing rocks and pummeled sand,_

_Then you appeared, clad in destiny_

_I took one look and followed you into eternity._

Destiny


	8. Wrath

Over the following week, Elsa and Reise continued to comfort each other, each night winding up in the crook of Reise's arm or on Elsa's lap. Still dealing with the ramifications of having killed someone, Elsa was glad for the ever-present company and comfort he provided. She hoped she provided the same feeling for him, because she would have broken down and cried more than a few times without the support. Elsa may not have known what demons plagued his mind, but she knew what she could do about it. They had also started hugging. On a whim, when they were departing their tent early in the morning and before Reise had a chance to run off to begin training, she had grabbed his arm and pulled him into a tight hug. Now, every morning, night, and sometimes in between, one of them would initiate a hug that lasted a bit longer than necessary. The warm feeling spreading across her chest bade her to disregard that fact, however.

This time they spent was incredibly precious to her, as Elsa's only main physical contact during her adulthood was with Anna. She loved her sister dearly and would cherish her time with her always, but it wasn't quite the same. No longer viewing the incessant draw of her power as a bad thing, she reveled in the crescendos it would reach when she was within touching distance of Reise. Elsa could barely hear herself think with how loud her power called out now, the feeling getting stronger and stronger as time went on. She didn't know what it truly meant, but that didn't matter in the moment, the experience was everything. Not knowing their upcoming fate only made it more important to treasure every moment she had with the people she cared about. Although she was saddened that Anna wasn't here and she couldn't tell her goodbye if the worst came to pass, she was happy knowing their cause was just and necessary for the safety of the entire kingdom.

Wall's completed, villagers trained, and defenses prepared, the time had come for Elsa and Reise to depart for Ahtohallan. A cold chill was slowly inching its way up Elsa's back, slowly but surely as the time for them to leave the walls of this haven crept closer and closer. She wouldn't trade this time for the world, but now they were called to action and to defend the kingdom from its greatest peril yet. Honored though she was to be the one to answer the call, she would have been much less confident without Reise close by her side.

They had gathered their things from the tent, sharing a last sad look as they left their temporarily shared home. Yelana greeted them as they approached the new gate, an unreadable look in her eyes. She stepped forward and pulled Elsa into a tight hug.

"Good luck, my dear. I fear you are going to need it. Fear not for us, we will be fine. Our defenses are strong, and our wills are stronger. We will await your victorious return anxiously."

Elsa gripped her back just as tightly. "Thank you so much, Yelana. I will be back again, else who will keep Bruni from accidentally burning down the tents again?" With a sad smile she released the elderly woman.

"Go now. Save the world and come back to us with a great tale of victory!"

Simply nodding, Reise being marching towards the gate, briefly waiting for it to open while Elsa caught up. They departed the village of the Northuldrans and began their march to the coast, before facing whatever may be in the floes of Ahtohallan. They stayed quiet during their slow march, but occasionally Elsa would glance towards her companions face.

"Is there something on it or are you just admiring my good looks?" He grumbled at her, pointedly glancing back at her, catching Elsa in the act.

"I just wanted to say thank you… In the brief time since you came to our kingdom you've saved me from not only my nightmares but from facing this terrible darkness alone. I have no doubt I would be a blubbering mess if I came up here by myself and had to hurt or kill all those people… if they didn't get me first." She looked down at her feet as she finished, unsure of where to rest her eyes.

"Look here, Lady Elsa." Blue eyes rose to meet his. "This journey is something no one should take alone. Like your prior adventures, others were there with you for most of it. These things happen to be some of the single biggest, most character defining moments in life, and most who try it alone don't make it. You needed your family to help you through your past adventures, and now you need me. I wouldn't ask anyone else to dive into the hell we're about to. I'm used to it, this is my life, but for you and most others, this is the single most terrifying thing to occur in their lives. In fact I would normally feel better if I faced this alone, but I have a feeling you won't let me tackle this horror by myself even if I tried to stop you."

"Damn right. You're stuck with me now, Mr. Wanderer. We're in this together, and nothing's going to change that until we see this through. It is both my sister's and my kingdoms at stake, and our lives. Nothing will stop me from protecting what I care about!" Elsa said with a grin.

Chuckling softly, Reise continued down the path they were on. Once they were a fair distance from the village of Northuldrans, Ruin answered the call and appeared before them. Letting out a demonic sounding neigh, he nuzzled Reise's hand and stood regally, waiting to be mounted.

"I don't think I will ever quite get used to that…" Elsa said, carefully grabbing Reise's arm and pulling herself up onto the fiery warhorse. She gently patted his warm flanked and rubbed him reassuringly. "I still appreciate you Ruin, so don't buck me off!"

Eye lolling to the back of his head, Ruin seemed quite indifferent to her praise or discomfort. Reise beckoned him onwards, and they began a quick trot into a gallop towards the frosty shoreline. They didn't encounter any other possessed wildlife for the duration of their journey, Elsa using the opportunity to wrap her arms around Reise and hold him tight, careful of the sharp edge of his sword.

An hour into their journey and Elsa found herself staring at the blade of the sword her face was scant inches away from. She realized she had never actually truly looked at the blade of the weapon; every time she was near it her eyes strayed to the pommel; the ground near it; the chestplate it was strapped to. It was almost as though some force was pushing her eyes away from the blade, drawing attention to everything BUT it. Elsa forced herself to stare dead ahead, straight into the center of the blade. Fuzzy edges slowly faded away, and with a yelp she almost jumped backward off the horse. Revealed before her eyes was massive sword, curved in multiple places, sharp grey edge razor thin. The more disturbing part now seen by her eyes was the distorted faces and figures carved into the haft of the blade, seemingly trying to escape, distorted in agony or anguish.

Looking back at her, Reise seemed to notice where her attention was. "Ah, you've seen Chaoseater. Most don't have the strength of heart to stare straight into it." Said so matter of factly, he almost seemed to think this was normal.

"What is this thing? I don't know what I thought you wielded before, but I knew it was massive, this thing is colossal… and why is it so evil looking? This is no normal weapon."

"Yes… Chaoseater is born from the thing it destroys: Chaos. Ironically, the weapon is pure chaos itself, but it serves one purpose, to bring order to the universe. There are more aspects of this life that manifest themselves than just the four prime elements. Chaos is one example; Chaoseater is simply a result of that." Said so matter of factly, Elsa's head reeled a little bit. The implications of other elements or things having their own manifestations or physical entities capable of existing in their physical world was beyond belief. She supposed as the fifth element herself she represented ice, so it made sense there were others she didn't know about as well. Clearing her head, she asked something on the forefront of her mind.

"How many other types of things have manifestations that exist in our world? If we have the four prime elements, me as ice, this thing as Chaos, then we're at six. There could be so many…" Seeing the gleam in her eyes, Reise laughed.

"I have no idea, to be honest. I found Chaoseater, and it decided our goals aligned, and he decided to accompany me. I promise you if this thing didn't want to be here I would have to find another sword."

"You make the thing sound sentient. Do you talk to it at night, or what?" Elsa glared at the sword, daring it to speak.

Reise let out a deep laugh. "Not so much sentient as in intelligence, more like… it has a presence. I can feel it when I wield it, and it approves of what I do. That is all I know, and it has kept me company on many of my journeys."

From his prior descriptions, Elsa felt a little sad for him. He had been on many long adventures with nothing more than a barely sentient sword for a companion. Reise didn't really strike Elsa as the kind who gathered traveling companions regularly. She was unique enough already, and their situation was quite special to boot. If not for those things Elsa doubted Reise would be accompanying her and might just try and solve the problem himself, which scared her because something capable of invading her own dreams like this thing had was undoubtedly powerful. Deciding he wouldn't have to be alone so long as he wasn't too far from their kingdoms, she hugged him tight again.

"Let's get this done and over with so you finally spill the beans about yourself. I can't wait to hear your story!"

"I wouldn't be too excited, it's terribly long and not at all a happy one." Elsa heard him mutter something under his breath but couldn't quite catch what the words were.

Diverting the conversation, Reise spoke again, more audibly this time. "We are nearing the coastline, if I'm not mistaken. I would prepare yourself, I have no doubt it knows we are approaching and will try to stop us in some way before we get to the island."

Elsa agreed and secretly hoped the evil thing they were tracking down was actually just stupid and had no idea they were coming, but she suspected that was not going to be the case. They decided to dismount for the time being and gathered themselves. The trees began to thin slowly, marking their approach towards the shoreline.

As they walked, the only sound to be heard was the crunch of snow underfoot and the occasional _snap_ of a branch or twig. "You know, I've spent time in many forests. Even in the wintertime, you can hear some kind of bird, or rustling from some far off badger." They both stopped when Reise held up his hand, and waited. Reise craned his head, as though trying to listen to something just out of his hearing range.

"Listen to that… Absolutely nothing. I don't know what it means, but it's probably not good."

Elsa shivered, hugging her shoulders and looking around, not hearing a single rustle, snap, or crunch of snow in any direction. "I agree… Let us press on, there is no point in delaying anymore."

Reise nodded, and resume walking. Eventually, the trees had thinned enough to the point they could see the upcoming shore. Still too far to make out any details, something was different from the last time Elsa had been here. Smudges of color dotted the shore, breaking up the dull grey of the sand that comprised most of the beach. Breaking free from the tree line, Reise and Elsa came upon a large assortment of animals and a few humans standing stock still, facing into the ocean.

"There need not be any more blood on your hands, Elsa. I will clear the way, you stay here." Reise said with grim determination, Chaoseater appearing in his hand with a hiss as it cleared the scabbard.

Not willing to argue and too sick to her stomach at the thought of killing again to even try, she stayed back near the edge of the forest. Stepping forward with a crunch of sand, every creature and man turned slowly, in unison, to face their foe. Eyes alighting upon Reise, they suddenly filled with hate and fury, bears and wolves foaming at the mouth, humans with teeth bared.

Worry pressed her gut like a steel weight once again, watching Reise walk into danger. She knew he was capable, but still… Noticing movement, she looked back at him to see his large, gauntlet covered hand raised, heat beginning to distort the air around him. Confused at first, Elsa watched as power began to grow, waves of heat escalating in strength until she could feel it, standing a full tree-length away at this point. Power reaching a tipping point, Reise slammed his gauntlet shut, and the dull warmth Elsa felt at first turned into a massive heat wave, pushing her back a step. Moving her hand away from her eyes, instinctively raised to protect herself, Elsa watched in awe. Flames licked the ground and covered Reise, generating so much heat she felt a bead of sweat forming on her forehead. Each step he took forward slowly began melting the sand underfoot, partially turning it to glass. At once, the creatures released a savage roar and charged forward. The smaller creatures possessed by this evil couldn't even approach, dying and turning into flaming corpses midair as they lunged, hungry to end the life before them. The larger creatures managed to survive longer and tried to latch onto his skin. Those that broke through his defense hit his armor and didn't penetrate. One wolf managed to propel himself and snag one of the open patches of flesh under his arm, open to allow freedom of movement. It broke the skin, blood rushing to the surface, moments before dying as its brain fried from the inside out, eyes bulging in their sockets. Remaining attached just under his armpit, Reise savagely tore it off, taking some flesh with it while he continued to battle the approaching masses. A brutal kick sent a deer flying as it tried to tackle him to the ground, a swing of Chaoseater removed the limbs from a couple wolves trying to flank once again.

Elsa watched in fascinated horror, both at the flaming corpses flying through the air and the visceral melee Reise found himself in. Having beaten back the first wave of possessed creatures, Reise planted Chaoseater deep into the sand. Holding out his hand, the shadows began gathering into a tall, bladed weapon. When the scythe finished forming, Reise gripped it in both hands before holding it out and channeling more power into the firestorm that surrounded him, sending the flames higher and temperatures soaring. Refusing to let the enemy choose the fight, he bounded forward, scythe going up. When it came down bodies, heads, and limbs flew, instantly alighting and shriveling as they were consumed by the fire. As though hungry for more, the raging inferno continued to grow, consuming more and more, the melting sand expanding to areas he wasn't even touching.

Sensing the lost fight, the remaining possessed Northuldrans and animals attempted to flee, going down either direction in the beach away from their death. Elsa watched as the firestorm blinked out of existence, only the smoking remains and steaming ground indicating the furious blaze that was there. Reise ran back to Chaoseater and lofted it into the air for a brief moment. Flipping it pommel up, he plunged it back into the earth, until nearly half the blade was buried in sand. For a brief moment, nothing happened. With a brief rumble, Elsa watched as… what looked like sword blades appeared from the earth simultaneously, impaling every runaway in the back. Whipping his blade from the earth, all of the other blades shrank back into the ground, releasing the corpses they now supported. Simultaneously falling to the ground with a sickening level of choreography, they landed with a soft thump. Sheathing his blade, Reise returned to Elsa, holding out his hand.

"The deed is done, My Lady. Let us conclude this morbid business and be on our way to our final goal."

The only blood on him was that leaking from near his armpit. "First we have to take care of that, come here." Grabbing his arm and preventing him from having a choice, Elsa pulled him closer to her. She cupped her hand over the punctures, and froze over the holes so no more blood leaked out. "That will hold for now and it doesn't look serious, but be careful…"

"I will strive to be better for you." That simple remark began heating Elsa's face quicker than she would have liked. He didn't mean much by it, but it was enough. Finishing up with his arm, she let him go and started marching toward the water. "Last time I crossed the water it was on Nokk… I wasn't strong enough to freeze the water and cross that way when I tried. I'm not sure what to do here."

Reise walked, boots crunching in the sand as the few remaining bits of glass fell off, and rested his hand on her shoulder. "You have the capability to do anything you set your mind to. Try seeing if Nokk will help again, if not then we'll figure it out." Reassured by his calm words, Elsa raised her voice and called for the Water spirit.

Getting no response and seeing no spectral horse in the water, Elsa tried once more. She heard Reise speak from behind her head, arm still planted on her shoulder. "If he was smart, he got away from Ahtohallan and didn't look back. Let's assume that's the case and figure out another way." They began deliberating various methods of crossing the ocean (including swimming) but decided to try something neither was really sure would work. Ruin was summoned, and they both mounted up. This time, Elsa sat in front of Reise, cradled by his large frame with his arms wrapped around her to hold the reigns. If the fiery warhorse had any trepidation about charging headfirst in the ocean, he didn't show it.

"Well, it's now or never. Let's go!" Kicking Ruin into a swift gallop, they approached the receding waterline at a breakneck pace. "Now!" Shouted Reise over the whipping winds.

Elsa channeled her power into a small glacier, large enough to float and for Ruin to land on before leaping off, crossing a great distance before approaching the ocean once again. Repeating the process, they crossed the breaking waves, as Ruin leapt far higher than any horse should have been able to straight over the wave the almost brought them down. Once they were on the open ocean, things were much smoother, and Elsa was able to make a walking trail for Ruin to cross. They traveled at a quick trot, the hiss of melting ice and steam reminding them to not stand still for too long as fiery hooves pressed into the platform. Nearly 10 minutes later, Elsa's power was beginning to strain from creating ice floes big enough for Ruin to walk across. They were in sight of shore, and Reise's reassuring hand on her side gave her confidence. Pressing through, they made it to ice shelf that led to the entrance of the island, beautiful blue floes shining with radiant hues in the sunlight. Ruin returned to his home, and Elsa caught her breath for a moment. She hadn't sustained strong magic use for that long in just about her whole life, and while she still felt it pulsing as strong as ever inside her, that incessant tug towards Reise as well, she felt physically drained.

Reise glanced over at her, eyes shining a similar hue to the ice surrounding them. "While I don't think we should overstay our welcome, let's take a breather. Once you've rested up a tiny bit we'll start our way inside." His tone of voice brooking no argument, Elsa obeyed. They sat together on a small ice protrusion. Elsa shivered, either from the cold or from the creeping feeling of dread currently crawling its way up her spine. Immediately she felt a large arm cross behind her and pull her in right next to Reise's side, where the arm came to rest and held her against him.

Glancing up at him, she saw him staring determinedly into the ocean, no doubt mentally steeling himself for the coming battle. "Thanks, Reise. When we get through this alive I will have to see you properly rewarded for your valiant efforts." She leaned into his chest, feeling the reassuring rise and fall of his breathing.

"No rewards are necessary for me, Lady Elsa, just safety for you, your family and your people is enough." Breaking his gaze away from the frothing waters, he looked down into her eyes. As always, the sparking connection came crashing to the forefront of her mind, making it difficult to even think.

"We should get a move on, I'm ready as I will ever be." Breaking away from the gravity wells that Reise's eyes had become, she looked towards the same entrance she had walked through those months ago.

"This was a place of beautiful memories… I fear what this monster has done to the place." They stood, facing the black void they would have to cross through.

"Whatever is inside, we will face it together. Trust me, this thing likes to play tricks of the mind it seems, we will have to stick together and steel ourselves for the onslaught. I have no doubt he will try to drive us out or trick us in some way." Nodding, Elsa agreed.

"Let us begin." They stepped forward, crossing into the void. Eyes adjusting to the sudden blackness, they both stopped in the entrance for a brief moment. A long twisting hallway of ice presented itself and only the bare minimum of light crept through the thick ice making it difficult to see where the ice ended or began. Traveling through the path, they kept one hand on another so they didn't lose themselves and made their way through the narrow trail.

They encountered a hallway as the narrow passage opened up, massive pillars of ice guiding them down the trail. The hallway seemed to stretch on for eternity, each step resulting in a crack or a muffled thump as they walked. Reise spoke from behind her.

"Does anything seem different? It is a little eerie in here, but other than that I haven't felt or heard anything out of the ordinary."

"Not yet. Everything is as I left it. When I first came here the hall of memories was calling out to me, singing, but when I gained the power as the fifth spirit and elemental contact, it fell silent as it was a part of me. The water still holds many memories and can be viewed from a room down this hallway… But nothing seems different."

Eyes wandering, they neared the end of the hall. Elsa began to wonder if they were ever going to encounter something before reaching the end of Ahtohallan, when suddenly, they heard a voice.

"Hello…"

_Once, I thought I was special._

_Once, I thought I was chosen._

_Once... You know, it doesn't really matter._

_What I once thought is not what I now know._

_Now, I know I am the monster in the dark._

_Now, I know I am the thing you wish to never see._

_Now, I know my appearance isn't a boon, but a threat of imminent doom._

_Now, I am here, looking at you._

_And everything is different._

Changes


End file.
